The Next Step
by S. L. Rode
Summary: Set nearly a year after Ty and Amy are married, they are faced with an unthinkable tragedy. COMPLETED 3/16/2015. Reviews and comments are always welcome. You can find more stories at fuckyeahjavakiss on Tumblr.
1. Chapter 1

"Well Mrs. Borden, what do you think?" Ty asked, taking a sip of his morning coffee as he stood on the porch of his…_their_ trailer overlooking the breathtaking Alberta vista that was their backyard.

"About what?" Amy asked in return when she came out to join her husband of almost one year with her own mug of tea.

"Well, you've been married to me for a year and haven't filed for divorce yet. I'd say that's a pretty good sign we're ready for the next step." Ty turned his eyes away from the beautiful view in front of him to the more stunning one that appeared beside him.

When their chance to put a down payment on their dream farm slipped through their fingers, twice, he and Amy decided it best not to push too hard for their own place right away. While it was often burdensome on Amy to have to travel back and forth from her new home with Ty to Heartland to continue her work with problem horses, decided it was a better arrangement than them trying to fit into the ranch house with the rest of the Bartlet-Fleming-Morris-Borden family. Now that they were married, living in separate quarters just seemed silly and, truth be told, Amy was ready to be able to live on her own with Ty, even if that meant traveling an extra couple miles to work every day.

"And what's the next step?" Amy asked with a curious raise of her brow. She and Ty had talked in brief about where they saw their life together going - their own ranch, Amy continuing her work with frightened and abused horses by combining both traditional medicine and alternative methods, Ty opening his own practice or at least partnering with Scott for a few years. Then of course came the mention of children. They both wanted them - two at least - but never really figured out where they could come into this timeline of theirs.

"'Morning everyone," Caleb yawned, stretching then sitting up on the couch, squinting at the early morning sun as he scratched the back of his head. "Oh, is that coffee? Got anymore?" Getting up then, he helped himself inside the trailer to forage for breakfast.

"Getting Caleb to move out once and for all," Ty mumbled under his breath, making Amy grin and throw a "Good morning, Caleb" over her shoulder.

**-So, you'll notice that in the scheme of things this chapter is pretty… irrelevant. But you have to know that originally this was just a pic-fic, meaning someone submitted a photo to my tumblr and I just wrote a little snippit of story to go with it. People started asking for more, so I decided to run with it. That's how TNS came to be.-**


	2. Chapter 2

Bouncing her leg, Amy tapped her finger on her knee as she lowered her gaze to the floor, shooting an anxious look in the direction of the test sitting on the edge of the sink then away again. These were the longest couple minutes of her life and her eyes rolled to the ceiling as her leg thumped faster the slower the seconds ticked by.

"Amy, what are you doing in there?" Georgie banged her fist on the bathroom door, sighing when she received no answer. "I have to get ready for school." Her forehead thumped against the door, thinking this would be the least believable excuse to use in order to get out of going to school. Her aunt hogged the bathroom: original, but not very creative.

"Just a minute, Georgie," Amy snapped, running her hand through her blonde hair as her nerves started to make her edgy.

"You've been in there forever."

"So go use Grandpa's outhouse if you have to go that bad." Amy's gaze bore into the back of the test, not really wanting to read the result while having this argument with Georgie.

Georgie wrinkled her nose at Amy's suggestion. "Someone's got a bug up her butt," she mumbled walking away from the door to get breakfast instead.

Closing her eyes, Amy sighed when she heard Georgie walking away from the door, glad to have a moment to herself again as the last few seconds passed. Reaching slowly for the stick, Amy picked it up and held it face down in her lap. "Okay…one…two…" She took a deep breath through her nose. "Two…" Shutting her eyes again, Amy held her breath. "Three." Then turned it over as she opened her eyes.

* * *

"Hey, you ready to go?" Ty asked, reaching out to run his hand over Spartan's ebony coat as Amy ran a brush slowly, absently, down his neck.

"Uh, yeah, about dinner. I'm not really feeling up to it tonight, maybe another time?" She glanced up at him briefly before lowering her gaze and concentrating intently on rubbing out a patch of dried mud from Spartan's shoulder, hiding her face behind his neck.

"Yeah, no problem." Resting his hand on Spartan's withers, Ty studied his wife's face for a moment. "Are you okay?"

After a few firm strokes over the horse's shoulder, Amy looked up at Ty, again briefly, with a curious frown. "Yeah. Why?"

"I don't know. Something just seems kind of different…off, I guess."

"What do you mean?" Amy bent down to drop the brush in the caddy then unclipped Spartan from the cross ties and walked him to his stall, Ty following behind and leaning on the open door.

"Well, this is the third time in the last week you cancelled or rescheduled plans."

"So? I'm just tired. We just got two new client horses in yesterday, plus with Nicole on vacation I've been helping Lou with the dude ranch." Tired was an understatement for how exhausted Amy felt over the last week, falling asleep almost immediately after crawling into bed.

"I'm just worried about you, Amy. You've been tired a lot lately and I noticed there's Ginger Ale in the fridge. I didn't think you drank Ginger Ale." At least all the years he's known her Ty never saw Amy drink it, just assuming she didn't have a taste for it.

"Well I do now," Amy responded rather bluntly, making Ty knit his eyebrows at her abrupt tone.

"Are you sure there's nothing else going on?" he asked, deciding it better not to mention her short temper lately for fear of exacerbating it.

Amy was quiet a moment as she exited the stall, latching it slowly. "Uh huh," she replied, purposely turning at such an angle that her back was to Ty as she started fixing grain.

Ty turned with her, forced to look at her back as she leaned over the feed bins. Something was definitely up. He wasn't oblivious, knowing all of Amy's little quirks and signals for when she was annoyed, angry, sad, happy. It was all so obviously there in her body language and her forced distance told him she had something on her mind that was bothering her. He just wasn't sure if it would be worth it to push her to tell him, not wanting to make it worse.

Amy's mind was running rampant. She struggled all day with how she wanted to tell Ty the news, flip-flopping between being excited and nervous. Now that he was there for her to tell him, she chickened out. If she told him now it would be like he forced it out of her after she tried to hide it from him. She wasn't trying to hide it, she just didn't know how to tell him without blurting it out.

The up and down motion of reaching to the bottom of the nearly empty feed bin was starting to make her nauseous and she leaned up to take a slow breath and settle her stomach, dumping the scoop of grain into a bucket. "Here, can you finish feeding. I'll go grab my stuff from the house. Lou made us a lasagna to take home." Handing to scoop to Ty, Amy tried not to rush out of the barn as her stomach turned on her and she jogged the last few steps outside to throw up behind the hitching rail.

Ty continued to look at Amy curiously, watching her hurry outside. He grabbed the first two buckets to hang them up when he could hear Amy getting sick. Setting them down in the aisle, Ty rushed outside to see her bent over holding her stomach as she vomited in the driveway. His approach was cautious, reaching out to lay a gentle hand on her back. "This isn't nothing, Amy. If whatever is bothering you has you this upset, you need to tell me."

"Maybe I'm just sick," she answered once she could breathe again, rubbing her hand over her stomach and coughing from the burn in her throat.

"This is more than just being sick. Now stop deflecting and tell me what's wrong." His hand ran soothingly over her back while the other pulled her hair back away from her face as she inhaled deep breaths.

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because, look at me. This isn't how I wanted to tell you. It was supposed to be special, the right moment, like your proposal." Amy was almost in tears, upset at how terribly this moment was going and wishing the could go back a few minutes to start it over again.

"Tell me what?" Ty gathered the rest of her hair to hold in his fist that had been rubbing her back. He leaned down to try and encourage her to look at him. She did, slowly standing straight and turning to face him. For a long moment her eyes fixated on the buttons of his shirt. "Amy? Come on, you know you can tell me anything."

"I know. But this isn't just anything. It's going to change our whole lives."

Ty was finding himself getting nervous then as he gazed at Amy who finally brought her eyes to meet his. What could be so bad that she tried to keep from him? "What is it?"

There was a very long pause at their gazes locked and lingered, studying each other's expressions so intently as if trying to communicate through their thoughts. "I'm pregnant." Amy finally just let it out, the words floating on a breath of air.

Ty went silent, his eyes freezing on hers as the words slowly filtered through his brain, taking their sweet time to unfold into pieces he could understand. Amy gave him a moment to let it register before his lack of response became too much. "Ty, please say something."

Ty's mouth opened, then closed as he blinked and had an actual thought for the first time since receiving that news. "We're going to need a bigger trailer."


	3. Chapter 3

Laying awake in bed, Ty smiled softly to himself as he listened to his wife breathing quietly beside him. Early morning light was filtering through the curtain of the trailer, Ty turning his head to get a peek at the clock. It was early, but Amy would be waking up in only a few minutes to get ready to make her morning trip to Heartland to begin her own work day while Ty got ready for his shift at the clinic. But, looking over at his sleeping wife, Ty ended up reaching over to shut off the alarm clock instead. She'd probably be mad at him for that, but Amy deserved to sleep in today. Not only that, she definitely needed it. They didn't know how far along she was in her pregnancy, still having to set up a doctor's appointment, but decided to wait until after they told the rest of their family. Either way, it made her more tired than usual, but, of course, Amy wasn't the type to tend to those needs when she had so much on her plate right now. So, being the loving husband and soon-to-be-father that he was, Ty took the matter into his own hands. Amy would get her needed rest and he wouldn't get yelled at for letting her have it until after the fact.

Amy shifted in her sleep, Ty moving to lay on his side and watch her. His eyes trailed down to her belly that was still flat, but it made him smile to think it wouldn't be for much longer as their child grew. Slowly, Ty reached out to glide his hand over her side, sliding his arm around her and scooting closer to spoon against her. Propping himself up on his other arm, Ty leaned in to touch his lips gently to Amy's cheek and leaving a trail along her jaw. He watched her lips start to curve into a sleepy smile as she woke up, taking a few extra seconds to open her eyes. But when she did her head turned to look at him.

"Good morning, Mommy," he grinned, leaning in again to touch his lips to hers, drawing her tighter against him.

"Good morning, Daddy," Amy replied with her voice still heavy from sleep. She could feel Ty's hand against the warm skin of her belly, moving her own to rest over top of his. She wrinkled her nose a little as she said it though. "That feels so weird to say."

"It won't for long. I like calling you Mommy." Ty smiled, though it was strange to say, or to even think that in a matter of months that's who they would be for the rest of their lives.

"Just don't do it outside of the privacy of our home until we can tell everybody. I don't want things to get blown out of proportion this time." So man times big news like this was ruined by someone misreading a situation and starting a rumor that just exploded into something completely wrong or inaccurate.

"When do you want to tell them? We should do it sooner rather than later. You know what happens when things are left to fester."

She did, and sooner would be better considering it would be impossible to hide with her morning sickness that had been wrongly named as it lasted throughout the day. "How about dinner tonight? Lou mentioned Dad was coming too so everyone should be there." Tim was always there, though, so what made him decide to invite himself ahead of time and risk getting shot down by Jack, Amy had no idea. That wasn't Tim Fleming's style.

"What do you think they'll say?"

Amy thought for a moment. "I don't know. Lou will be through the roof, probably Grandpa too."

"What about Tim?" He was the one Ty was most worried about, his father-in-law not hiding the fact that he still didn't think Ty had what it took to support Amy. Telling him the were now expecting a baby would probably only add fuel to Tim's fire.

"Well, he might go through the roof in a different way," Amy laughed softly, turning to face Ty an cuddle up to him.

Ty took Amy in his arms as she rested her head on his chest, placing a kiss in her hair and running his hand along her shoulder. He was quiet for a moment, listening to Amy's content sigh as she closed her eyes again. "You don't think he'll try to kill me do you?" Ty asked after a pause.

Amy smiled to herself, tipping her head back to look up at her husband. "I guess we'll find out. If he tries, I'll protect you." Leaning up, Amy pressed a kiss to Ty's lips, smiling when they parted and Ty moved to reconnect them again. His hands roamed her body, finding the end of her shirt and sliding beneath it to once again run his fingertips over her soft skin.

"You know, this is what got us here," Amy murmured against his lips, speaking between kisses but not stopping. She shifted into a better position on Ty, easing her leg over his waist.

"Well at least now we don't have to worry," he replied after a long series of fiery kisses.

Ty's hand glided up Amy's back, his fingers dragging along the arc of her spine, his arm tugging her shirt along the higher he went. Amy's hand cradled his face, her thumb running along the morning scruff of his jaw. She pushed herself up with her other arm when Ty pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it to the floor, her leg sliding further over him until she was straddling his waist. Ty was able to enjoy the lovely view of his wife for a brief moment before she was leaning down and capturing his lips again, her arms reaching up to cradle his head between them. Her fingers stroking his hair made his spine tingle pleasantly and his hands begin to explore her body more bravely.

"You guys up yet,? Getting pretty late." Caleb pulled the door open without knocking and poked his head in. "Oh, my bad."

"Caleb!" Amy squealed, falling off of Ty and pulling the blanket up to cover her chest.

"Get out, man!" Ty shouted, waving his arm toward the door for emphasis.

"Well, sorry. You should have hung a hat on the door or something. Let me know when you're done." Caleb was grinning to himself as he backed out of the trailer and shut the door.

"Ty! It's almost eight, why didn't the alarm go off?!" Amy exclaimed after getting a glimpse of the clock, scrambling to get out of bed and get dressed.

"I shut it off. I wanted you to get some rest." Ty sat there as Amy climbed over him and snatched her shirt off the floor, agitated that she was going to be late.

"I have a full schedule today and I promised Lou I'd be there to help her with breakfast for the guests at the dude ranch!"

"Lou will be fine with Georgie helping her."

"I have to feed the horses. It's not so simple as just walking down to the barn anymore." Amy peered out of the little window to see Caleb stretched out on the couch again before she started stripping out of her pajamas and stepping into jeans.

"Jack is there. Besides, it won't kill them to eat a little bit later than usual." Ty tried to reason with her, but knew it would be no use.

"That's not the point. This is my _job_, Ty. You'd be mad at me if I shut the alarm off on you," she argued, sitting on the recliner at the table and shoving her feet into her boots.

"No, I wouldn't. I'd appreciate your concern and embrace it."

Amy paused, shooting Ty a look. "No, you wouldn't."

"Okay, maybe I wouldn't. But your the pregnant one who needs the rest." Ty got up, reaching out to stop Amy from rushing outside. "I just want you to take it easy."

"I'll be fine, Ty. Let me set my own limits."

Ty studied Amy for a moment. "Just don't set them too high." Though he knew this wouldn't be the only time he went over her head to get her to rest. He knew his wife, and knew how stubborn she could be once she set her mind to something.

"I won't. Now can I please go to work?" She raised her brow, tipping her head toward him with a little smile, using her powers of persuasion with a little kiss.

"Okay. Just remember what I said, or I'll lock you in this trailer for the next nine months." Ty smiled then, tipping his head to kiss her as Caleb banged on the door.

"Come on, guys, finish it up already."

"I thought you were going to talk to him," Amy complained in a low voice, stepping away from Ty and reaching for her hat.

"I know, I will. I promise." There really was no choice in the matter anymore. It was amazing they managed to have a private moment to even get pregnant with the way Caleb just barged in without bothering to knock first.

"Well, you better do it sooner rather than later because this trailer is going to get cramped real fast once the baby comes." Amy continued to keep her voice low, knowing the trailer wasn't completely sound proof and Caleb tended to have supersonic hearing. It was already too small for the two of them. She didn't know how they would ever fit a baby, plus everything they require, into it without getting rid of their own stuff.

Ty rubbed his hands over his face. "I know. I'll talk to him tonight after dinner."

"Good, cause if you don't I will." Amy leaned in for a last parting kiss, then stepped out of the trailer to start her day in a much less thrilling way than she anticipated.


	4. Chapter 4

"Are you ready for this?" Ty asked in a low voice, standing beside Amy at the kitchen sink as they washed up for dinner. They hadn't had much time to prepare how they were going to make their big announcement, both being too busy at their respective jobs to communicate even through text all day. But they agreed that one way or another, they were going to do it tonight at dinner before it was put off to the point where it just festered and leaked on its own in a bad way.

Passing the dish towel she used to dry her hands, Amy raised her brow to her husband. "Are you?" She knew he was worried more about Tim's reaction than anyone else's, seeing as his father-in-law still seemed to have a bone to pick with Ty even though he'd been married to Amy for almost a year. It was true they were still stuck in Caleb's old trailer, with Caleb still living out on the couch, but they were still trying to find their own place, a bigger place, preferably a small farm to start. Right now anywhere bigger than that tiny trailer would do, though. They wanted, and now needed, space to start their family and begin their truly adult lives.

Ty shrugged, leaning back against the counter as everyone started taking their usual places at the dinner table. "Gotta get it over with some time, right? Might as well be now." After nearly ten years of dealing with Tim Fleming, Ty knew he could hold his own, but this was a little bit of a different situation and it wasn't just Amy he was expected to provide for and take care of now.

"Come on, you guys!" Georgie called, forcing Ty and Amy to exchange a last look before joining the rest of their family at the dinner table.

Serving bowls made their rounds as everyone filled their plates with salad and Lou's shepherd's pie, which had come a very long way since she first made it after coming home from New York. It was actually edible now and even enjoyable when she moderated the salt. However, when it came to Amy, she hesitated with scooping it onto her plate. Her stomach started to turn sour from the strong odor that attacked her senses.

"Amy?" Ty asked quietly, noticing the way his wife was taking in slow breaths, swallowing hard and looking as if she were about to throw up.

"Something wrong?" Jack asked, drawing attention from the rest of the table to Amy as she still held the bowl in her hands and tried to force herself to scoop some of the food out and pass it along, but she was stuck just trying to hold her stomach down.

"Come on, Amy, it's not that bad. Just eat around the crunchy part," Georgie joked, receiving a narrow-eyed look from her mom.

"Excuse me," Amy finally managed, handing the bowl off to Ty and sliding out of her chair to get to the bathroom, shutting the door fast and hard behind her before she retched into the toilet.

Ty looked down at the bowl in his hands when the eyes of the table that had been on Amy turned immediately to him, looking for some kind of explanation for Amy's strange behavior.

"What's wrong with her?" Tim asked, almost accusingly, leaving Ty to decide if he should just get it out or wait for Amy to come back, if she even would.

"I think that's something Amy should tell you," he answered slowly, though knew that wouldn't be the right thing to say to Tim.

"What's that supposed to mean, 'Amy should tell me'? What's going on?" Tim turned his body toward Ty, his chest expanding as he sat up straighter like an animal preparing his defenses.

"I'm just saying-" Ty began when Lou cut him off. She'd been staring at him hard, with acute interest since Amy left the table, an inkling of a thought taking over her mind.

"Oh, would you just stop, Dad. I'm going to check on her." Pulling her napkin from her lap, Lou left the table and stopped in front of the bathroom door to knock gently. "Amy? Can I come in?"

With one hand holding her hair out of her face and the other serving as a pillow for her face against the cold porcelain of the toilet, Amy took deep breaths after having lost the ability as she got sick. She closed her eyes when she heard Lou at the door, but allowed her to come in anyway. She reached out to flush the toilet quick and try to regain some of her dignity by pushing herself up from hanging over the toilet, sitting back against the tub as Lou stepped into the small bathroom and closed the door.

"Are you okay?" Her eyes went from the toilet to her sister, full of concern but there was also a bit of hidden excitement in them.

Amy nodded, not quite trusting herself to speak right away. She ran her hand through her hair, pushing her bangs out of her face as Lou came lean on the vanity in front of her.

"You've been acting weird lately. We've all noticed it, except maybe dad but, he's usually clueless to social cues, so…" Lou offered a little smile, seeing one find Amy's lips as well as she looked up at her sister. There was a pause as Lou became serious again and studied Amy carefully. "Come on, Amy: the fatigue, nausea, sensitivity to smell… you're pregnant," Lou deduced, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, and to someone who went through it, it probably was because they already knew what to look for.

Since Lou came to the correct conclusion on her own, all Amy was left to respond with was just a small shrug, a smile still pressing at her lips when she saw Lou's eyes widen, as if expecting a debate and Amy to deny it. "Oh my God, you are?!" When Amy nodded, Lou squealed with delight, causing everyone out in the dining room to turn their heads toward the bathroom, then once again look at Ty.

Lou dropped to her knees beside of Amy and wrapped her arms around her sister in utter excitement. "I knew it! I mean I suspected it for a while, but… ugh, I can't believe I'm going to be an aunt. This is so great. I knew you guys would come around eventually. I was waiting for this day since you got married."

Amy was just left to grin at her sister as she rambled a mile a minute, not even pausing for a breath until she just had to stop and take in the moment again. "You're going to tell everyone tonight? Please tell me you are because I don't think this is a secret I can keep." Lou kept a lot of secrets, the biggest being Ty's intentions of proposing to Amy and then the fact that Amy found the ring and knew about it all along. That had been the most tormenting few months of her life. Any time Amy or Ty would come through the door, she'd be on the alert, expecting the big announcement and would just deflate in her disappointment when it didn't come.

"If I can get back out there and Ty hasn't already. It's not exactly how we planned for things to go, but… really none of this was." They hadn't really had a plan set in stone aside from finding their own place, which proved to be quite the challenge. But now it seemed that lack of a plan was going to need to turn into something different soon before they had a baby in their arms and no idea what to do with it.

"You guys are going to be fine. I know it. Maybe you don't have a plan now, but look at Peter and I. We had plans, all of which fell apart and now we're still here trying to find a new one. It's not easy, but we all know nothing in life is. You'll figure it out, together. That's all that matters." Lou told her quietly, reaching up to place her hand on Amy's head.

"Thanks, Lou." Grateful for the vote of confidence from her sister, Amy pulled her into a hug and held it for a few long moments.

"Hey, that's what sisters are for. And for giving you all kinds of pregnancy advice and tips: like buying antacids in bulk cause, believe me, you're going to need them." They both laughed quietly at that, but Amy knew she was going to be running to Lou for all of those bits of advice.

"I guess we should get back out there," Amy suggested after another moment, reaching up for the edge of the tub so she could get to her feet.


	5. Chapter 5

"Are you going to answer me, or just sit there and continue to hope Amy comes back soon to take the pressure off?" Tim was losing patience at Ty's avoidance of telling them what was going on with his daughter. It was obviously something and something that Ty knew or had been let in on - because it was his fault.

It was taking a lot of will power right now for Ty to maintain his patience and keep his mouth shut and not blurt out that Amy was pregnant without her present. This wasn't only his news to tell and didn't feel right doing it without her there. But if Tim didn't stop, he would just to shut him up.

"That's enough, Tim. I'm sure Ty would tell us what's going on if he thought he should." Jack jumped in to Ty's defense.

"He should." Tim continued to fix Ty with a hard look, giving him "the stare" in attempt to intimidate him into talking. Unfortunately, Ty was immune to most of Tim's tricks and ignored him.

"Like I said, I don't think it's something I should say without Amy here. It's really her news to give." Yes, Ty was the one who fathered the child and it wasn't only Amy's baby, but in his mind she was the one who had all of the hard work ahead of her in carrying and, eventually, giving birth to this child. She should be the one with the privilege of telling everyone.

"News?" Jack was looking at him now in a similar way that Lou had, narrowing his eyes to study Ty as he leaned back in his chair.

"Well, she's not pregnant so, what other news-" Tim stopped when he saw Ty's eyes drop to the table in a very tell-tale way. "No. She's not… is she?" Tim looked from Ty to Jack who was still watching Ty. He lifted his gaze but was avoiding looking directly at both men who sat at either end of the table, Ty stuck there in the middle facing Georgie who was just looking back and forth among them all.

"Wait, Amy's pregnant like…with a… baby?" She was both stunned and awed, her brown gaze wide as it drifted back to Ty who took a breath and looked up toward the ceiling as if somehow he'd receive assistance from the big man upstairs, or at least his prayers would be heard an He'd send Amy back out.

"Yes, Georgie." Eyes whipped to Amy as she appeared from the bathroom with Lou who was still all smiles. The girls came back to the table, Lou retaking her seat but Amy remained standing beside her chair to address the table as a whole. "Well, I guess the cat's out of the bag now but, yes. Ty and I are expecting a baby." She turned her eyes down to smile lovingly at her husband, placing her hand in his when he reached out to take hers and slipped back into her chair. Ty took her hand over into his lap, giving it a gentle squeeze as they took in reactions from around the table.

"Well, that's some fantastic news. Congratulations you two," Jack laughed softly with joy, getting up out of his chair to hug Amy, planting a kiss on her hair and patting his hand against Ty's shoulder.

"Thanks, Jack. Or should I say, great-grandpa," he teased with a grin, getting a chuckle out of Jack but also a reprimanding finger wave.

"Now don't be doing that to me yet, I might be great-grandpa, but I've still got a lot of years left in me." Shaking his head, but grinning widely, Jack retook his seat.

"Now wait a minute, hold on here." Tim interrupted, everyone's smiles falling and turning serious as they directed their attention to him. He seemed almost dumbfounded, like he was having a hard time wrapping his mind around this breaking news. "Pregnant? You two haven't even been married a year yet and you're already having a baby? I take it this wasn't planned."

"Dad-" Amy started, but Tim cut her off, directing his attention and fire to Ty.

"No, wait, you're still living in the trailer, aren't you? Or, have you found a new place to live, cause I haven't heard anything about it. I sure hope you don't plan on trying to move back in here or else you're going to need to build an extension, Jack."

"Now hold on there, Tim. Don't start jumping down their throats without having all of the facts. Amy and Ty are married adults and more than capable of handling what goes on in their lives."

"Come on, Jack. I'm just pointing out the reality of things. They can't expect to find a new place to live and pay for all of the medical expenses and care Amy and this baby are going to need, plus all their regular bills. A-and what about Amy's work with the horses? She's just going to give that all up to have this child? And there is no way in hell they're going to be able to live with a baby in that trailer. Especially not with O'Dell still squatting on their couch. He's certainly no babysitter."

"Can you two please not talk like we aren't sitting right here?!" Amy exclaimed, finally fed up with listening to her father and grandpa bicker.

"It's okay, Amy." Ty rubbed his hand along her arm as he fixed Tim with an unappreciative frown. "You're right, Tim. I won't lie to you and say we have a plan because we don't. This pregnancy wasn't planned but that doesn't mean we're not going to accept and embrace the fact that we're going to be parents and there is going to be a new member added to this family in a few months. No, we haven't found a new place and yes, we are aware - more than you know - that it would be difficult to raise a child in the trailer, not completely impossible. But what you need to understand, Tim, is that it is no longer your job to concern yourself with how I take care of my wife and child."

"It is. It is my job because no matter whose wife she is, Amy is still my daughter. I have every right to make it my concern, especially when it comes to her well-being."

"You don't think I'm good enough for her." Ty said in a flat tone, not as a question but a statement. A fact.

There was a brief pause.

"No. Ty, I don't. I know how much you love Amy and Amy loves you, though I can't figure out why…"

"Dad, that's enough!" Lou slammed her glass down on the table, water splashing out on the table cloth.

Tim ignored her. "But I don't see you making any effort to give her what she needs."

"You mean what _you _think she deserves. That's not for you to say, Tim and, frankly, your opinion isn't welcome or wanted. We're going to do what we think if best for us and our family, no matter what you think we should be doing. Just because you screwed up with Marion doesn't mean you can make manipulate our lives to make up for your mistakes. It was you who didn't give Marion what she needed, not me. So stop projecting your guilt and accept that you were a shitty husband and father and-"

Ty didn't get the chance to finish, or even duck, before Tim's fist collided with his face.


	6. Chapter 6

In all reality, Ty should have seen it coming before he did. He was verbally attacking the man and outright condemning him for his past mistakes.

Tim was up out of his seat after hitting Ty, bringing the whole table up with him as he grabbed handfuls of Ty's shirt tight in his fists. Ty managed to get his hands between Tim's to knock his arms away then gave him a hard shove in the chest to drive him back and create enough space to put some power behind his arm as he drove his fist hard into Tim's jaw.

"Stop it! Both of you!" Amy shouted. Being closest, she was the first to get herself between them, both Tim and Ty hesitating to throw any more punches with Amy there in the line of fire. They just continued their non-verbal assault by piercing each other with their enraged glares.

"Ty, please." Amy reached out to him, carefully wrapping her hand around his arm, still poised and ready to hit Tim as many times as necessary to get the point across. But Amy's voice broke through the rage, his eyes dropped from Tim to hers, air heaving into his chest. He lowered his arm slowly, his hand still folded into a fist, jaw popping as he clenched his teeth to get control of himself.

"What is the matter with you?" Amy turned on her father, feeling anger, and even hurt, surging through her.

"Me? Did you hear the way he just talked to me? You're loving husband just called me a shitty father." Tim rolled his shoulders, straightening his shirt and getting the little bulge that was pulled up tucked back into his jeans. He was still hitting Ty with his irate stare, but kept his distance, even backing up a step or two.

"Well, Dad, you certainly weren't the greatest before mom died and you aren't much better right now either," Amy scolded him, not even feeling the least bit guilty at the slightly wounded look that crossed Tim's face and made his scowl falter.

"Amy…" Lou started gently, not wanting there to be an even wider rift created between them all. Amy was upset, everyone was by Tim's harsh words by some degree, but Ty ripping open those old wounds in Tim made him no better.

"So you're just going to defend him?"

"He's my husband, Dad."

"I'm your father. I've always been your father, whether I've been there or not."

"But you haven't been there! You missed ten years of my childhood and then spent the last eight of them pushing… just… pushing for more and more out of me. I know you want what is best for me, but you don't know what that is anymore, Dad. I'm _happy_. Why can't that be enough?" Amy's voice grew quieter and gentler as she poured herself to her father, watching his expression too start to soften.

"That's enough for you? It's not enough, Amy. I know it's not. The further along in this pregnancy you get, the more you're going to realize just how much you're going to have to give up to have this family. You're not going to be able to climb into that round pen with a damaged horse and chase him around, or even ride for that matter. It takes a lot to raise a family, Amy. Are you really sure you're ready to give up what you love?"

There were some instances in his little speech that Amy was ready to cut in and once again put him in his place. Tim didn't know what it took to raise a family because he missed out on a lot of his children's lives. It might not be entirely too late for Shane, but he was certainly old enough to remember life without Tim and living the lie Miranda fed to him in his younger years. It seemed everyone thought better about bringing up Shane right now though, not finding it appropriate to bring him in to this argument.

He was right about one thing, though, and that was whether or not Amy was ready to back off from her work with troubled horses. It was dangerous enough for her to be with them, and that risk was doubled now that she was carrying a child. She knew Ty wouldn't allow her to continue with that work for long, if at all anymore, but if Amy had her way she'd do it until it was physically impossible anymore.

"Working with horses isn't the only thing I love anymore, Dad. You know I'd never give that up, but Ty and I want a family. It was going to happen eventually, why not now?"

Ty jumped in then. "We know this isn't the most ideal situation or best time-"

"Oh, you think?"

"But…" Ty continued, ignoring him again. "I'm not in school anymore, Scott's hired me full-time, and with Mrs. Bell and Wade covering my tuition I don't have any student loans to pay off. We will figure it out, Tim. I can promise you that."

"Oh, you can?"

"Yes," Amy insisted. "You used to expect me to carry all of this responsibility with school, and Storm, and show jumping and working with the other horses, but now you don't believe Ty and I together can make this work?"

"I just think you have more to do with your life before starting a family, Amy. There's so much more out there in the world for you to take on. But… you obviously have your minds made up so…." Tim raised his arms in surrender, grabbing his hat and setting it onto his head.

"Is that what it was like for you?!" Amy was again raising her voice, suddenly under the assumption that Tim felt like this baby was going to ruin her life. "Did mom getting pregnant take away all of your hopes and dreams? You sure have a lot of belt buckles for your life getting ruined."

"No.. Amy… honey that's not what I meant…"

"It sure sounded like it, Tim." Jack chimed in rather harshly.

Tim rubbed his hands over his face. "That's not… the happiest days of my life were when you girls were born. But, you're right, I was gone… a lot. On the road still trying to fulfill my own dreams and I regret that, I do. Which is why I don't want that to happen to you. You have plenty of time to have children. Use this time to reach your highest potential, take that road trip to Vegas you and Ty were talking about, expand your clinics… find your dream ranch. Don't put it all on hold so soon."

Amy's harsh words died again from her lips as her face softened and she took in what Tim said, shaking her head slowly. "It's too late, Dad. We're having this baby."


	7. Chapter 7

After the disastrous dinner that resulted in Tim just leaving, feeling no longer welcome, no one was really ready to sit back down and continue eating except Georgie who remained at the table with Lou and Katie piling shepherd's pie into her mouth.

Amy wandered out onto the porch and sat on the bench, rubbing her hands over her face in frustration. Of course Tim would be the one to make this whole pregnancy into a negative, pointing out all of the worries and concerns everyone was probably thinking anyway. Someone had to be the bad guy, though, and it was usually Tim. He played it well with making pretty much everyone at the table irritated with him. He did mean well and Amy understood that eventually, but that didn't mean she still forgave him for making Ty out to be an inadequate husband and making it sound like this pregnancy was just going to turn into a huge regret. Amy had been worried about it in the beginning when that stick first turned blue, but after telling Ty and talking with him a little bit she had started feeling better and excited about finally starting a family with him. Now, Tim succeeded in making those doubts creep back into her mind.

Ty stood at the kitchen window helping Lou clear the table, looking out to see Amy rub her face then fold her legs up to her chest and stare out toward the barn.

"Don't worry about Tim. He'll come around. You know how he is." Jack appeared next to Ty, setting a few plates on the counter then looking out at Amy as well.

"Yeah. I just wish he would have surprised us all and been supportive, even excited about being a grand father again. Now… I'm just afraid Amy's going to start having doubts and rethinking this whole thing. I don't want her looking back after we have this baby and regret not waiting." They didn't have much of a choice in the matter since they hadn't been planning to get pregnant right now, which is what worried Ty most. Unless they went against all they believed in and had an abortion, they were stuck having this baby. Ty knew they wouldn't get rid of it just to make their lives easier. The guilt would eat both of them alive inside. He just didn't want Amy thinking she had no choice, which she very well might be.

"Well, all I know is that no matter what you decide, or what Tim thinks, you'll always have my support. And if you need the space, well I suppose I could take Tim's advice and tack on another wing to the house." Jack reached out to rest his hand on Ty's shoulder with a reassuring smile, giving him a squeeze before heading back into the dining room.

After grabbing his still full plate, Ty joined Amy on the porch. He paused in front of her, offering her the plate. "You should eat something."

Amy looked at the shepherd's pie and felt her stomach churn all over again, making a face of disgust and turning away. "Oh.. not that, please. Just looking at it makes me feel sick." Smelling it would probably make her throw up again and she really didn't want to do that.

"So this is what pregnancy is like, huh? Should be interesting," he smiled looking down at the plate. There was definitely going to be a lot to learn.

Ty moved to set it on the little table beside the bench then slid next to his wife and positioned his body to keep the plate from her view. "We'll find you something else later." She smiled softly at him then they both turned their eyes out toward the slowly setting sun for a few moments, lost in their own thoughts.

"Ty… do you think maybe we're rushing things?" Amy asked finally, a crease in her brow as she turned to look at him.

Sighing, Ty glanced down at the old wooden boards of the porch, taking a moment to choose his words wisely, but instead just reciprocated the question, unsure of how he wanted to answer. "Do you?"

Lowering her gaze, Amy considered the question carefully. "I don't know. What Dad said made sense. I mean, what am I going to do about the horses? I know it's too dangerous to work with them, but we both know it'll be too hard for me to just quit."

"But it'll only be temporary, just until you can have the baby."

"Yeah, but Ty, babies need a lot of care and attention. With you working full-time at the clinic, I won't be able to leave the baby alone to work with the horses and I won't be able to bring him with me."

Ty studied Amy, taking in her reasoning and trying to think of something to ease her concerns. He supposed this was going to be a conversation that came up between them eventually, but thanks to Tim it came up sooner rather than later. Ty couldn't yet decide if that was a good or a bad thing when they had still been wallowing in their happiness.

"Him?" Ty grinned, catching her use of a gender identifier and unable to ignore it.

"Or her. Ty, come on, I'm being serious."

"I know. I'm just… I don't think we're rushing into anything. Maybe it wasn't the right time, but that doesn't mean we can't make it the right time. We still have time to get a plan in order. But I don't want you to think you have no choice in this. It's your decision more than it is mine. And I'll stick with you, whatever you want to do." Reaching out, Ty took Amy's hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"So you think we should have this baby?" Amy asked, knowing that the idea of an abortion wasn't really something that settled comfortably in her mind.

The way Amy asked that question made Ty a little bit uneasy, realizing what sort of dangerous territory they were falling into. If she wasn't already pregnant this conversation would be so much easier. "Like I said, I think it's your decision to make."

"Well, can you at least tell me what you think?"

"I already told you, Amy. I think if we do have this baby that we'll be okay. We'll figure it out and make it work."

"Yeah, but do you want to? Are you ready to be a father?" Amy's voice became more pushy, demanding an answer and not another attempt at evasion.

"I…" Ty sighed, blinking in thought as he looked away from his wife again. "Amy I don't want to push you into-"

"Oh, so you don't think _I'm_ ready for this." Amy's harsh tone left Ty with a sense of dread. He didn't like where this was heading.

"No, Amy, it's just that everything was fine this morning and then as soon as your dad mentioned all of that stuff about what else was out there waiting for you, all the sudden you seem…"

"What?" Amy dared him, fixing him with a hard frown.

"You seem like you're having second thoughts." Ty finished slowly, forcing his voice to remain calm even though Amy was getting worked up.

"Maybe I am." Planting her feet on the floor Amy got up and crossed the porch to the stairs.

Ty looked up at her, startled, watching her walk away. "You're not thinking about… Amy…" He quickly got up to follow her, catching her before she hit the gate. "Amy, look at me. Are you really considering…"

Breath heavy in her chest, Amy stared down at the path. Her mind was swimming. She had so many emotions running wild through her she didn't know which to settle on, or which would help her put her thoughts together. "No… I don't know…" Running her hand through her hair, Amy turned headed for the barn, needing space and just time alone to think.

Ty was frozen in place, watching her go, confused and feeling his heart sink at the thought of Amy really thinking about ending this pregnancy. In a matter of minutes their excitement and happiness came completely unraveled, leaving them both questioning if they really were ready. It had felt like they were. Ty started to feel an eagerness to have that baby in his arms he'd never felt before when he and Amy were just kicking the ideas around, having fun picturing a life for themselves. Now that it had been handed to them and they were given the opportunity to make something of it, it just fell apart before it could really begin.


	8. Chapter 8

The rest of the evening, and even the ride home had been shrouded in a silence that hadn't come between Amy and Ty in quite a long time. Ty usually welcomed a chance to think, but now he was afraid of what his wife was thinking about as he shot glances in her direction throughout the drive. She stared out of the passenger window the whole time, Ty not seeing her turn her head once until they pulled in front of the trailer. Then all she did was undo her seat belt and move to open the door. Ty reached out quick to stop her.

"Amy, wait a second," he started, his eyes searching for her gaze that remained averted to the floorboards.

"I'm tired, Ty. I just want to go to bed," Amy told him in a low voice, glancing at his hand on her arm, waiting for him to let go so she could get out.

"We need to talk about this." Ty really hated having to go to bed with this between them, leaving everything unsaid for a restless night of drowning in his own thoughts and concerns. Whether she was tired or not, Ty knew Amy would experience the same insomnia that didn't even seem like it was necessary if they could just get through this now.

"Not tonight. Please, Ty. I really don't want to think about it anymore today." As if that would happen, and they both knew it. Amy just didn't want to be put on the spot when the discussion resulted in a demand for some kind of answer that she wasn't ready to give.

"Okay, but do you still want me to talk to Caleb?" Whether they were having a baby or not, Ty knew Caleb couldn't live with them forever, but it seemed like the baby would be the best excuse Ty could give without outright telling his best friend to hit the road because he was becoming a bother.

"Do what you want." Amy pulled her arm away from Ty then and climbed out of the truck to head inside and get ready for bed, leaving Ty to sit in the truck and stare after her.

He sighed, resting his arms on the steering wheel and bowing his head, shaking it slowly in despair. He should have told Amy right out he wanted to have this baby and was even excited for it, but he figured she'd already known that from how he'd been acting over the last week since she told him: rubbing her belly and whispering "momma" in her ear as he talked about - and to - their little one. Even she seemed excited and ready for this next step in their lives.

Looking up toward the trailer where Caleb had just emerged carrying a couple beers, Ty no longer saw that happy mother-to-be, nor did he see that expecting glow that had been radiating off his wife this morning. "Thanks, Tim." Ty murmured, finally climbing out of the truck when Caleb approached.

"Something happen between you and Amy? She barely said two words to me." Caleb handed Ty one of the beers he'd snagged before Amy kicked him out so she could change and get ready for bed.

Twisting the cap off, Ty chucked it toward the fire pit and took a long swallow, giving himself a chance to think before having to answer. "Uh, yeah but it's a little complicated."

"This doesn't have anything to do with that Prince guy again, does it? I thought we were done with him."

"No." Ty shook his head, glad that wasn't the issue but compared to this was wondering if maybe Ahmed would have been easier to deal with, maybe even Chase Powers.

Ty stared down at the beer bottle he held, turning it in his hands to absently read the label for no reason other than to give himself another chance to get his thoughts in order. "Amy's pregnant," he answered finally.

"Dude, you're kidding me!" Caleb said after a pause to let it sink in, reaching out to give Ty a congratulatory slap on the back. "Well that's great, man! Isn't it?" he asked then, realizing Ty wasn't acting as excited as a father-to-be probably should.

"Well it would be, or it was, but then Tim had to go and open his big mouth and now… well let's just say Amy's not so sure anymore."

"What do you mean? She's not thinking about an abortion is she?"

Ty shrugged, sipping his beer. "I don't know, she won't talk about it. It definitely sounded like she'd considered it, though."

"Well, you can't let her go through with it. You have some say in this, you know. That's your kid too."

"It's Amy's decision. I told her we'd find a way to make it work, but that didn't seem like enough of an answer for her. She's thinking about missing out on her clinics and having to drop clients for a while to get through the pregnancy and actually be a mom."

"But you're her husband now, not just a sperm donor. Plus, that's what moms do. What did she expect, to get a nanny and pawn the kid off when she got tired of it like she did with Katie?" Ty regretted venting to Caleb about that now, realizing it was going to hang over Amy's head now that motherhood was on the table and she'd had little interest in even babysitting her niece for a weekend.

"Give her a break, man. Her dad just laid into us pretty thick about it. He made it pretty clear he didn't think this baby was a good idea right now." Ty had hoped they were since passed caring about Tim's opinion, but it still seemed he had some influence after all, much to Ty's dismay.

"Amy's a married woman now. She should be looking to you for those sorts of opinions." Caleb frowned, sipping his beer and leaning next to Ty against the truck.

"I know, but it's Tim. He's still looking to make up for lost time, I guess. I don't know. It doesn't really matter the reason, but that it seemed to hit Amy pretty hard."

"So, what are you going to do?"

Ty took a moment to run that question through his mind, shaking his head slowly as he stared down toward the grass. "I don't know. Leave it go for tonight, I guess."

"Well, you better not leave it go too long, or there's going to be another person in this trailer and we're already close quarters as it is."

"Yeah, about that…"


	9. Chapter 9

Amy pulled down the shades of the trailer's windows after checking to make sure Ty and Caleb were still outside before she turned and went to change for bed. Her movements were slow and deliberate, her mind straining to think about just changing her clothes instead of the other place it wanted to wander. Amy knew she and Ty needed to discuss what happened at dinner, or most notably after, but she really just didn't want to right now. It had been a long, and stressful evening. All she wanted to do was crawl into bed and just sleep it off. Unfortunately, even she knew it couldn't be that easy. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that as soon as Ty came inside and they were again alone, he'd be coaxing her into that dreaded discussion. She just hoped that Caleb kept him occupied long enough for Amy to crawl into bed and pretend to be asleep when he did return.

Of course she couldn't get so lucky. Amy was just crawling beneath the blankets when Ty entered the trailer, his eyes immediately finding her on their bed. Amy had tried to avoid his gaze but she'd been too late to look away.

"You never did eat anything. Aren't you hungry?" Ty asked, deliberately refraining from mentioning the big elephant in the room. He didn't want to go to bed in an argument with Amy. No matter who you were, that was never a good thing. He just wished they could have the same system Caleb and Ashley used to that no matter how bad the fight was, in the morning they would just start over like it never happened. Wouldn't that be nice. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be that simple, so Ty was going to make up for it now by playing nice instead of further agitating his wife.

Amy watched him for a few long moments, trying to gauge his angle, deciding not to push her luck and just shaking her head slowly. "No, I'm okay." She paused, moving her gaze from Ty as he sat in the recliner at the table to get off his boots. "It probably won't stay down anyway." Not much did lately.

"Oh. You should have something in your stomach, though. Some saltines at least. They're safe, right?" Ty got up after kicking off his boots and reaching into the cabinet for a sleeve of crackers, offering it to Amy.

"Uh, yeah. Most of the time. Thanks." She reached out to take the sleeve, her fingers brushing lightly over his, both of them pausing with their hands still wrapped around the crackers before Ty relented his grip.

Amy lowered her arm back to the bed, turning the sleeve around to find the seam and pulled it apart to open it, taking out a cracker and bringing it to her lips for a small bite. "So, what were you and Caleb talking about?" She had a hunch she could guess correctly.

Ty went back to close the cabinet then pulled off his shirt to toss in the laundry pile before grabbing his tooth brush from the cabinet above the sink. "Uh, well, I tried to break the news gently about him finding a new place to stay."

Amy bit into the cracker again. "How did he take it?"

Ty shrugged, shoving his toothbrush into his mouth and scrubbing vigorously. "He'll get over it," he mumbled through a mouth full of foam.

"So, what's he going to do?"

Ty spat in the sink, rinsing the brush off and sticking it back into the cabinet with the toothpaste. "I don't know. See if Jack will let him have the loft again for a while, I guess, since no one else is using it. Not sure he wants to be sucked back into doing the farm chores though to pay for his keep."

"Well he is Lou's trail boss. I mean that's enough of a chore just dealing with her on a daily basis. And Nicole isn't much better."

"Yeah, but I don't think he wants to be the new guy in the loft." Ty crawled over Amy to take his place in the bed beside the wall.

Glancing back at her husband as he slid down beneath the sheets and laid his head on the pillow, Amy smiled softly at him. "You'll always be the guy in the loft to me."

Ty returned her light smile, folding his arms back behind his head. "Seems so long ago now, doesn't it?"

Moving her crackers onto the floor, Amy slid down beside Ty. "Yeah, a lot happened in that loft."

Ty stared up at the ceiling with a reminiscent smile, nodding. "A lot of memorable moments that's for sure. I kind of miss it at times."

"I know I missed you being there after you moved out here when Caleb left. I felt spoiled having you so close all of the time. But I guess you being so far away made me realize how much I just wanted to be with you." Amy reached out to place her hand on his chest, Ty pulling one of his own from behind his head to take hers in it.

"And now you get to deal with me every moment of every day," he grinned, bringing her hand to his lips to kiss the back of her fingers."How do you feel about that now?"

"Well, not every moment with our crazy schedules." Amy smiled softly again, shifting herself over to drop her head against his shoulder. "But, I like it. I like knowing I have you to wake up to every morning and that I get to fall asleep with you every night. I like that certainty that now matter what else happens in the day it will always begin and end the same." Amy paused, her smiled faltering a little as she adjusted her head to lower her face from Ty's view. "Especially right now when everything just seems so… confusing."

Ty lowered Amy's hand from his lips, letting it rest again on his chest as he ran his fingers delicately along her forearm. He pressed his lips together, listening to her talk and wondering if this was her bringing up the baby discussion for him to run with or if he should just stick to his plan of letting it go for tonight. There was definitely a tension hanging in the air from words left unsaid, but right now Ty would take this safe talk over getting Amy upset again right now. "Yeah, but it didn't start out like this." Ty pointed out gently, cautiously.

"And what does that mean?" Amy's voice found that affronted tone as she lifted her head from Ty and propped herself up to look at him with a small frown.

Ty knew he should have just kept his mouth shut, but was now pushing himself up on his elbows. "I'm just wondering what happened to the wife I woke up to this morning. The one that was excited and happy to be called 'mommy' and finally get to tell the family we were having a baby." Well, since the mood had just been blown, might as well run with it.

"I don't know, Ty. I'm still happy… I-"

Ty raised his brow at her. "Are you? Because you sure don't seem it if you're talking about abortion."

Tears filled Amy's eyes as she pushed herself up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. "I wasn't…" She sniffed, pushing her hair behind her ear as she bit her upper lip and tried to make sense of the thoughts that raced through her brain all night. "I wasn't seriously considering it. I just… I guess I hadn't really thought about how indefinitely our lives would change and… I had a moment of uncertainty and doubt."

Ty slowly sat up and turned on the bed to look at his wife. "So you weren't think about ending this pregnancy?" he asked, just wanting to have some clarity.

Amy whipped her head around, shaking it in disbelief. "No, Ty. You really thought I could do that? Just… get rid of our baby because I was afraid of how my life would change?"

"Well, you sounded pretty clear that you were having second thoughts to the whole thing and when you wouldn't talk to me about it I just figured…"

Amy turned around, reaching out to gently cradle Ty's face in her hand. "There's nothing I want more than to have a family with you Ty Borden, you know that. But my whole life has been centered around helping horses and it's just a little overwhelming and even scary to think that I may have to give that up, even if it's just for a little while. And my dad was just bringing out all of those questions I'd had floating in my mind but never wanted to face."

There was a relief that flooded through Ty as he listened to Amy assure him that she didn't want to get rid of their baby. He could understand her uncertainty, though, even if he didn't think she should have to feel that way. "Your dad did kind of lay it on pretty thick."

"He just wants to see me reach my potential. But…" Amy paused, smiling gently at Ty as her eyes lowered from his face between them. "I meant it when I said I was happy." Her gaze rose to catch his again, shaking her head slowly. "I've accomplished so much at such a young age. It was really overwhelming and stressful at times, especially with my dad there pushing me to do better and to keep myself in the limelight. But you know what, I never wanted to be in that light. It just sort of happened and then suddenly it wasn't just about helping the horse anymore. I think I'm ready to just step back and slow down, get back to my mother's roots of where Heartland began…before that whole "Miracle Girl" video."

Ty was smiling, his hand raising to again take Amy's, pulling it down away from his face and reaching up to wipe at the tears that had spilled over her cheeks but were now starting to dry as she talked with more conviction in her voice instead of doubt. "I think that's a great idea." Ty knew all of the publicity that came from that video had just ended up building to a point where Amy began to lose touch with herself. It became more like she was trying to prove to everyone that she was capable of curing every horse that came to her, rather than just simply helping the horse heal from whatever scars tainted its past. "And you know you don't have to stop helping problem horses. I would never expect, nor want, you to give up the thing you love."

"I know. Ty, I'm so sorry about tonight, about making you think I really didn't want this. I do. I always will, and it doesn't matter what my dad says, you're right: we're going to make this work our own way. You're a great husband, and I know you're going to be an even better dad."

Finally, Ty was able to see that loving smile appear on his wife's face again, making him want to do nothing more than reach out and pull her into his arms. Which he did, tightly, his fingers brushing through her blonde hair and he held her against him, not daring to let go. "We're going to be fine," he murmured in her ear.

"We are," Amy assured him, her own hand raking through his hair, fingers curling against his scalp. "I love you."

Ty pulled back to rest his forehead against Amy's with a smile before pressing his lips firmly to hers. The kiss was a little moist from Amy's tears, Ty able to taste their saltiness but he only tilted his head to the side to deepen the kiss for a moment longer before they both needed to come up for air. "I love you, too."

**A/N: **_"GKB:Fantastic chapters ,so don't let her make the decision to have a abortion , please? Make sure they find that perfect ranch to fit their needs &amp; future family or maybe win the lotto to help out. __Please honor us with a lot more, don't hold us in suspense to long please!"_** You know this is the same story you've been reading on my tumblr? I'm just sharing it over here now as well. I just haven't caught up with uploading all of the parts on here yet. So you know what happens. Hahaha**


	10. Chapter 10

"I can't believe you kicked me out," Caleb huffed, grabbing his duffel bag from the back of Ty's truck while Ty grabbed another and the two men hauled them up to the loft.

"I'm sorry, man. But it's like you said, we're going to have another person in the trailer in a few months. There's just not enough room for us all." Ty dropped the bag at the foot of the bed. It had been a couple days since he officially had "the talk" with Caleb, and then with Amy that resulted in them finally clearing up the whole abortion issue that turned into a non-issue. While things were now better between them, they weren't completely back to normal with Tim still on their case about it, but they'd pretty much taken to avoiding him at this point, just to save themselves the headache.

"Yeah, a few months. You couldn't have let me stay until then?" Caleb went over to the door that overlooked the pond and pushed it open to let the sunlight filter in. "It's still my trailer after all. I mean, I'm still your landlord. I could have you evicted and make you live here in the loft."

"Come on, man. You wouldn't do that to Amy."

"Alright, fine. Then you can come back to the loft and I'll stay and live with Amy. Don't worry, she'll be in good hands." Caleb grinned, dodging Ty's punch to his shoulder. "Seriously, though, you're really going to bring a baby into that crappy trailer? Amy's okay with that?"

Ty sighed. "Well, we really don't have much choice right now. Finding a bigger place just doesn't seem to be working out for us and Amy doesn't want to move into town and be so far from Heartland."

"She's not going to still be working with those horses, though, is she?"

"We talked about it… sort of. Even though I'm not thrilled with the idea, we agreed that she would for as long as she was comfortable, but I made her promise to always have someone here, just in case, and not to over-exert herself."

Caleb just shook his head. "I doubt very much she's going to stick to that agreement."

Ty shrugged, "Well, that's about all I could get out of her for the time being. I don't think it'll stick either but I'm willing to honor it until I need to step in and put my foot down."

"Well, good luck with that. Your wife is stubborn as a mule, she'll find loopholes. She always does."

"Yeah, well, we'll just take it as it comes I suppose." Ty sighed and looked around at the old loft space. It hadn't been used in a couple years and was covered in a fine layer of dust and plenty of cobwebs, but it still looked the same as he'd always remembered it. "Feels weird being up here again, doesn't it?"

Caleb looked around as well, reaching down to give the footboard of the bed a shake. "Yeah. This old place has seen quite a bit, and heard quite a bit more. Hell, if these walls could talk we'd have to burn the barn down."

Ty chuckled, heading back for the door. "It's a good thing they can't."

* * *

Amy stood in front of the mirror in the trailer, sucking her gut in and trying to button her jeans, which was successful but left her feeling as if she was being suffocated. Scared she was squishing the baby, she quickly undid them, her eyes lowering on the glass to her abdomen. She ran her hand over her stomach and the baby that lay within. She really didn't look any different, but Amy could feel the changes her body was going through aside from the morning sickness and just being tired all of the time. Her waist was thickening, that much was obvious from the way her jeans were tighter than they used to be and she could feel how much firmer the lower part of her belly was. It was still almost surreal to her to know that she was pregnant, but the sonogram she and Ty set up an appointment for in Calgary would probably change all of that. Amy had never been more excited than when she got off the phone with the clinic with a confirmed date to see their child for the first time. Of course, it probably wouldn't look like much more than a glitch on the screen, but it wouldn't matter. It would be their little glitch.

"Knock, knock." Lou pulled open the trailer door and poked her head in, causing Amy to snap out of her reverie and move around the trailer to find a new pair of pants that would be looser around her waist.

"Hey Lou, what's up? Come in."

Lou stepped into the trailer, pulling the door shut behind her and taking a look around. "I was just seeing how you were. Ty's at the ranch with Caleb, I was just wondering…"

Amy smiled at her sister, digging through the tiny closet. "We're fine, Lou. He's just helping Caleb move his stuff over before he heads to the clinic. It just made more sense for us to drive separately. Plus, I wasn't ready by the time he needed to leave, so." Pulling out a pair of pants, Amy tossed them onto the bed and closed the door so she could change.

"Oh. Okay, well that's good. I just haven't heard anything more about the other night at dinner and what happened after. We heard you and Ty arguing."

Amy looked up at her sister, feeling guilty for withholding all that happened between her and Ty after they'd all split from the dinner table. Normally, Lou would have been the first person Amy went to for advice about what to do about all of it, but she hadn't wanted to admit what had briefly run through her mind. Still, Caleb heard enough about it from Ty; it surprised Amy that he hadn't gone and blabbed. "It was just…hormones. You know how that is. We're fine though, promise."

Lou was nodding, crossing over to the table and sitting in the recliner. "Boy do I ever. I certainly don't miss those days. The sensitivity to everything, restless nights, never being able to get comfortable, and don't even get my started on the itching! It literally felt like my skin was crawling."

Amy paused, turning to stare at her sister. "Thanks, Lou. Glad to know what I have to look forward to," she said with sarcasm, pulling the new jeans up over her waist and making a second attempt at buttoning them. They fit better than the other ones, but even though they were still a little snug, at least they were more bearable.

"So, have you and Ty made that ultrasound appointment yet?" Lou asked.

Amy nodded, moving around Lou to get her boots and sitting in the seat at the other side of the table to put them on. "Yep," was all Amy replied, knowing Lou wasn't asking just for conversation.

Lou watched her sister for a moment, expecting a more elaborate answer, realizing then she should have worded her question differently. "Well. When is it?"

"You're not coming, Lou."

"Who said I wanted to come? I was just asking when we could expect to see those pictures." There was a pause when Amy shot her big sister a look that said she knew otherwise. "Okay, so maybe I want to come. But so what, why can't I?"

"Because… I just want it to be me and Ty. I never went to your ultrasound with Katie."

"You never asked."

"That's because I respected that it as a special day for you and Peter. And it's going to be special for me and Ty as well. I just want it to be…"

"Special?"

Amy shot Lou another look. "I promise we will come straight to Heartland as soon as we're finished to show you the pictures. Okay? Besides, it's not like there's going to be much to see. I mean, it's not going to look like much of anything right now, right?"

"No, but that's not the point. My baby sister is having a baby, I just want to be as much as part of it as I can be." Lou sat in the chair with a small pucker to her lower lip as she pouted at her sister for being denied permission to come along. "You promise I get to be the first to see those pictures?"

Shaking her head Amy stood and went to grab her sweater from the hook. "Yes, Lou. I promise."

"And I get to be in the delivery room too, right? Cause you were there when Katie was born. It's only fair." Lou jumped up to follow Amy outside, Amy sending a bit of a weirded out look over her shoulder.

"Uh, yeah, that's because you gave birth to Katie in the house and no one else was around. I still have nightmares about that day." Amy grabbed the truck handle and yanked the door open, Lou reaching out to grab it as Amy climbed in to keep her from closing it on her.

"Come on, Amy. I want to be there when my niece or nephew is born. Please?"

Sighing, Amy dropped her hands on the steering wheel and shook her head, looking at Lou with a little smile. "We'll see. Okay? There's still a long time before now and then." Reaching out Amy yanked the door from Lou's grasp to close it as she started the truck and started reversing onto the road.

Lou stepped back to keep from getting her toes run over as she watched Amy leave. "Wait! When's your appointment?!" She called after her, raising her arm to try and get her sister's attention, but Amy either didn't hear or ignored her as she backed onto the road and headed to the ranch. Lou lowered her arm back down and huffed, kicking at the gravel with her boot before turning to hop back in her own truck to follow Amy back to Heartland for further interrogation.


	11. Chapter 11

Early morning light filtered through the trailer on the day of Amy's first ultrasound appointment. There was a smile pulling at Ty's lips before he even became fully aware that he was awake and bothered to open his eyes. He could feel Amy's body close against his on the small bed crammed against the back wall of the trailer. It was quiet and peaceful, the only sounds coming through the walls were of the birds outside and… pages turning?

Ty awoke further to shift his body, stretching out his legs and rolling over onto his back to open one eye and look at his wife turned away from him, propped up on her arm and looking down at what he assumed was some sort of book. He reached out to rub the back of his fingers against her shoulder, causing her to glance back at him with a soft smile. "Good morning."

Ty pushed himself up so he could see over her shoulder what she was reading, kissing the warm skin of her arm on his way up. "You're up early. Whatcha reading?"

Amy turned the page of the "What to Expect" book she'd gotten in town a few days ago. "Just this baby book I got. I just wanted to be prepared for this appointment today."

Ty rested his chin against her shoulder to look down and let his eyes skim over the page she was turned to. He looked at the cartoon drawing of a developing fetus inside of the womb that very much resembled some sort of sea creature. "There's no need to be nervous. It's going to be fine." Ty slipped his arm around her waist, dipping his hand beneath her shirt to run over the warm skin of her belly the held the baby they were going to get a glimpse of in a few hours time.

"I'm not nervous. I just want to be informed is all. This is all new to me, I just want to know as much as I can."

"So what have you learned?"

"Well, I learned that the baby probably has a good heartbeat by now. And its little tail is disappearing." Amy grinned, glancing over her shoulder at Ty's reaction.

"Tail? No way. Are we having some kind of alien baby?" He reached down to pull the book away from Amy to read this bit of information himself about their child having a tail.

Amy kept her grip on the book to keep Ty from taking it from her, laughing. "No. It's just part of its development. It grows into the tailbone, which I guess makes sense, but you missed the most important part. It might have a heartbeat already."

"Well, you kind of buried that bit of information with the whole thing about our kid having a tail." Ty got a little bit worried for a second there, even though he knew Amy wasn't one to easily be able to joke about things like that without having them based in some sort of fact. She just wasn't quite witty in that sense. But hearing the baby could have a heartbeat made Ty grin. "So a heartbeat. One that we can hear?" He moved then to slide back and pull Amy down onto her back as he ducked his head down to rest his ear against her abdomen.

Amy laughed and shifted, moving the book out of the way to give Ty room to place his head on her. "I don't think you'll be able to hear it that way." Still, Amy couldn't help the tender smile that appeared as she looked town at the back of her husband's head resting on her belly. She reached down to stroke her fingers through his hair. "I hope we can hear it though. How incredible would that be."

Amy was right, he couldn't hear anything except the workings of her digestive tract and feel the pulse of her aorta against his face. It didn't matter, though, he knew their baby rest somewhere just on the other side of his head and that was enough for him to pick up her shirt and plant his lips against her bare skin. "That would be pretty amazing. I'll be happy enough just to get to see it today."

Ty lifted his head then, turning to look up at his beautiful wife, finally seeing that glow return to her features over the last week as things had started to settle down within the family in regard to this baby. Or, mostly just Tim. He seemed to realize any negativity he felt the need to relay would be met with contempt and deliberate avoidance. Amy really didn't need to deal with that stress again and Ty was going to make sure she didn't have to.

"How did you sleep? You didn't wake me up a dozen times last night." Lately, Amy had been having issues with her morning sickness carrying over into the night, as well as the rest of the day. It worried Ty that she could be so sick all of the time, but he knew that was one of the many woes of pregnancy. He just wished there was some way he could help her combat it, though knew there wasn't much he could do other than get out of the way fast enough when Amy needed to make a mad run out the door or to the nearest convenient place to get sick and hold her hair back if she let him get that close to her. He made sure they were well stocked on saltines and ginger ale, too, which seemed to be Amy's go-to bedtime and morning snack before she threw herself into the day.

"Pretty well, for once. I thought I'd be laying awake all night from my nerves, but it was actually a pretty restful night. Despite your snoring." Amy grinned. Ty's snoring was nothing at all compared to Caleb's, which could easily be heard through the walls of the trailer when he used to sleep out on the couch.

"What? You're such a liar." Ty laughed, his hands coming down to grip Amy's sides as he tickled her weakest spot. Amy's whole body tensed and convulsed from the attack to her ribs as she laughed and squirmed in his gasp. "I don't snore."

"Ty. Stop," she laughed her body curling and squirming to get away from his hands. The tightening of her diaphragm from her hard laughter was rough on her stomach, though, and Amy could feel herself getting queasy as she tried to take in the air that had been torn from her lungs from her laughter. "Stop," she told him again, serious this time even though she was still laughing and trying to pry his hands away.

"Ty. I'm going to be sick." That got his attention and almost immediately did he stop and tear his hands away from her sides, the wide grin falling from his face as Amy sat up and closed her eyes, inhaling slow and deep breaths.

"You okay? You want some ginger ale?" Ty untangled himself from the bed sheets and stepped over Amy to get out of bed and open the little fridge, grabbing a bottle of Canada Dry.

Amy shook her head. "No. No, I think it's going away." One of her least favorite things was throwing up. She always hated having the flu, or being ill at all, and now this was like the flu from hell that just wouldn't go away and that no antibiotics could help.

"You should drink something anyway. And eat. You need food in your system. How about we go to Maggie's for breakfast?" Ty set the ginger ale on the counter to screw off the cap and hand the small bottle to Amy, watching her take small sips despite her initial protest. She was nodding though as she drank, lowering the bottle from her lips.

"Maggie's sounds good. I'm actually kind of hungry for some blueberry pancakes if I can keep them down," she smiled, handing Ty the bottle to be returned to the fridge.

"Then blueberry pancakes it is. Maybe we can head up to Calgary a little early then, too? Do a little shopping?"

Amy was careful as she got herself out of bed, not wanting to disrupt her stomach from the sudden vertical movement. "Shopping? I never thought I'd ever hear that word come out of your mouth. What are we shopping for?"

Ty shrugged, a small crooked smile pulling at the corner of his mouth as he moved aside for Amy to find some clothes to change into. "I don't know. Maybe some baby stuff. Might as well start looking now, right?"

Amy stopped digging for clothes to look up at Ty with a gentle smile, excitement blossoming in her chest on top of what was already there at the idea of browsing for baby stuff. "Okay. That sounds nice." She tossed the shirt she had in her hand at Ty. "Now let's hurry up and get dressed. Baby is hungry," she laughed.


	12. Chapter 12

Breakfast at Maggie's turned into more of a brunch after Amy and Ty first made a pit stop at Heartland on the way into town to make sure things were under control while they went into Calgary for the day. While the farm work had been taken care of, Amy had forgotten to phone an incoming new client to reschedule the drop off date for their horse. So they ended up having a surprise visitor just as she and Ty were pulling back up the driveway. It had been Amy's own fault for letting it slip her mind, or not delegating it to someone else, so instead of sending them away, had Ty turn round to get the new mare settled in and the proper paper work filled out in addition to spending the better half of an hour hearing about the mare's history and what exactly the problem was.

Of course with a new horse there Amy had wanted to stick around and check her out, get a feel for her and learn more about her traits first hand, but today wasn't a day where she could shift her time around to do it and reluctantly climbed back in the truck with Ty to finally make the drive into town.

Despite it being a little too close to lunch for pancakes, Amy's cravings demanded she order them anyway. She was quick to learn that there was no fighting it, finding it nearly impossible to properly function until the craving was satisfied. It was best for everyone if she just took care of it before it could fester and become a serious issue.

Her blueberry short-stack had been delicious, as usual, and Amy was beyond thrilled that by the time she and Ty were back in his truck headed up highway 2 to Calgary, she managed to keep them down. It was a pretty smooth ride so there weren't many bumps to jar her sensitive stomach too much. Regardless, Amy had a bottle of ginger ale in hand to keep it that way.

"Doin' okay?" Ty asked, glancing over once they reached the city limits, carefully navigating through the mid-afternoon traffic.

Amy lifted her head that had been resting in her hand with her arm against the door to look at Ty with a smile and a nod. "Yeah. I'm just kind of bummed we didn't get a chance to make it up sooner. That client completely slipped my mind." She had been looking forward to browsing through the baby stuff. Even though she saw enough of it at home from Katie, she had a whole new perspective now that it was her child she'd be needing it for. A lot of the stuff Amy knew Lou would be passing down to her, since she kept a majority of it just in case she and Peter did get pregnant again, but that was also the reason that Amy and Ty decided they should probably look into getting a lot of it new for themselves so they didn't have to worry about if Lou were to get pregnant again.

A smile pulled at Ty's mouth as he reached over and placed his hand on his wife's shoulder. "Hey, don't worry about it. It's just your baby brain at work." Lou's had been pretty comical those few years ago when she'd been pregnant with Katie. Her forgetfulness, while frustrating to her, had been rather amusing to everyone else who bore witness.

"Lou warned me this would happen. I just didn't think it would so soon. I still don't really feel that different. Except for… the sour stomach, fatigue, restless nights…oh and of course there is the constant need to go to the bathroom all the time. That's always nice when I'm trying to ride or work with a horse," Amy joked with sarcasm, grinning in Ty's direction when he chuckled at her.

"You're certainly in a good mood today." Lately it had been a lot of touch and go with Amy's moods. He knew the new influx of pregnancy hormones were to blame for it, but he was still trying to get used to the roller-coaster of emotions she could go through in a single day, sometimes even within a few minutes. It made him much more cautious of the words he chose and how to approach her if they'd been apart for long enough that he wasn't sure what he was walking into.

"I am." Amy replied, her voice absolutely agreeing with her mood. Until her morning sickness abated, she was really unsure of how the rest of the day would go. Some days all she wanted to do was curl into a ball beneath the blankets and other days she was good to go through a whole day with only minor belly aches that were easy enough to overlook. Today she felt pretty good and really hoped things remained that way physically. She didn't want her chipper mood to tank when today was a day she and Ty had been looking forward to for over a week now.

Ty guided the old truck down a maze of busy streets until he found the entrance to the parking garage for the medical clinic and swung into an open spot. He climbed out as Amy dug in the glove box to make sure she had all of the needed paperwork to make check-in as quick and painless as possible.

Ty came around and pulled the door open for her, making her smile at him while she climbed down. She nodded when he asked if she had everything, slipping her arm around his waist as he did hers until they reached the elevator entrance that would take them up to the correct floor. Amy pressed the '5' button then leaned back against Ty as the door slid closed and the machine carried them up.

The doors opened to the lobby that looked much less intimidating than the lobby of a regular hospital. Amy approached the receptionist and signed herself in, turning over the appropriate papers so she didn't have to spend their waiting time with a clipboard in her lap. She was able to go find a seat with Ty in the waiting area that was empty save for another couple at the far end who were further along in their pregnancy from what Amy could tell by the noticeable baby bump the woman was sporting. Amy smiled faintly before looking away, not wanting to get caught staring.

Ty leaned in close, his voice quiet as his breath brushed against her ear. "I think you're going to look adorable with that bump," he smiled, having noticed where Amy's gaze had fallen. He pressed a kiss to her cheek, reaching over to take her hand into his lap as they waited for their turn to come around.

It wasn't a long wait, maybe fifteen minutes at best, but the longer they sat there after the other couple were called back, the more anxious Ty became to the point where his leg started thumping against the floor.

"Now who's nervous." Amy placed her hand on his bouncing leg as Ty looked down and forced it to stop.

"I'm just eager is all."

"Amy Borden?" A nurse called, looking around the otherwise empty lobby until her eyes fell on Amy and Ty as they stood and followed her back to a room. "Is this your first?" She asked politely, pulling down a clean sheet of paper to cover the table Amy was going to be laying on that was situated beside an ultrasound machine.

"Yes," Amy replied, standing by with Ty and watching the nurse move about, awaiting instruction.

"Okay, so what we're going to do is ask you to remove your pants and underwear then lay back on the table and make yourself comfortable. You can cover up with this," she handed Amy a thin blanket. "The technician should be with you shortly."

Amy nodded, both she and Ty saying "thank yous" before being left alone for Amy to strip down and hop on the table, draping the blanket over her bare lower half.

"So, why do you have to be half naked for this?" Ty asked, sliding a chair over from the corner to sit down beside of Amy. "I thought they just squeezed that gel over your belly." At least, that's how he'd always seen it done - in movies.

"I think it's too soon to see the baby that way." Amy wasn't too sure herself, but was sure the technician could answer that for them when she came in a few minutes later.

"It's true since we don't know how far along you are that it'll be easier to go through trans-vaginally. We can try finding the baby through your belly, but the picture won't be as clear if we can find it at all. This way also makes it easiest for us to make sure your pregnancy is normal and the baby isn't developing inside the fallopian tube or where it shouldn't be. The experience is different for everyone, but you should only feel mild discomfort."

The technician got the machine set up as Amy folded up and opened her legs for the tech to have access to her. She pulled out a wand-like object she called a transducer and rolled a lubricated condom onto it before sliding it up inside of Amy. She'd been right, it wasn't comfortable and felt rather odd extending the length of her vagina and through her cervix into her uterus. Amy was almost afraid to move, but seeing the inside of her womb up on the monitor had her attention.

She and Ty both watched as the screen ebbed and flowed as the sound waves bounced off the walls of her uterus while the tech tried to find their baby. It took a few minutes of searching before she paused.

"There it is," she told them with a smile, adjusting some nobs on the machine. "Let's see if I can get a better view." Now that she had the baby in sights, it only took a few minor adjustments until it was front and center on the screen. It really didn't look like much of anything but a teddy bear-shaped blob without the ears, maybe more of a gingerbread man.

"Oh wow," Ty breathed, transfixed by the image on the screen as the nurse took some quick measurements before pointing out the little features. Not much was noticeable except for the head and arm and leg buds, but it was still the most incredible thing Amy had ever seen. She couldn't believe that's what it looked like inside of her right then.

"Judging from the size of the fetus, I'd say you are maybe bordering ten weeks, but when you have a follow-up with your doctor he'll let you know for certain." She told them as she adjusted the angle again then ran the cursor over a part of the baby that looked like it was moving, pulsing. "See this pulsing? That's the heart."

"That's pretty amazing." Ty commented, reaching out to fold his hand around Amy's, running his other hand over her arm. Both of their gazes were glue to the screen and the little beating heart that the technician was now trying to get a read on, but Amy still gave Ty's hand a loving squeeze when a jagged line appeared to measure the heart rate.

"Can we hear it?" Amy asked, hopeful that it was strong enough for them to get to hear.

"We can definitely try. It's rating at a hundred and sixty-seven beats per minute, which is nice and strong. Let me just finish up here and then we'll get the doppler." She finished taking measurements and making sure she had everything properly written. She was careful as she pulled the wand from Amy and rolled off the condom to toss in the medical waste basket. Amy was then allowed to put her legs down and get comfortable again while the technician pulled out a little handheld doppler and some of that gel Ty had asked about earlier.

Amy pulled up her shirt to expose her still flat, but expanding belly for the tech to place some of the cool gel against her skin. There wasn't much but static when the wand was first placed against her lower abdomen, the tech moving it around until a whooshing noise erupted from the little speaker. She turned it up, shifting the doppler over a little bit one way then the other until it became clearer. The baby's quick heartbeat filled the room and had both Amy and Ty staring at her belly.

"It sounds like a herd of horses, doesn't it?" She looked up toward Ty who's face just showed the awe he was feeling hearing his child's heart beating so strongly from inside of Amy. "Are you okay? You look like you're about to cry," she smiled, reaching up to rub her hand along his arm.

Ty snapped out of his daze to lift his green gaze to his wife with a smile. "Yep, yeah, no I'm good. It does kind of sound like horses, yeah." He cleared his throat in attempt to maintain composure even though he was easily on the verge of having some emotional tears well in his eyes.

Seeing their child up on the screen and then getting to hear its beautiful, steady heartbeat, made Amy's pregnancy and their impending parenthood so much more real. It absolutely amazed Ty that he and Amy managed to create this tiny life that now resided inside of her, literally taking their two halves to create one whole being. Ty never experienced such a miracle of life before. None of the animal births he'd witnessed over the course of his time at Heartland and working with Scott could ever compare to the one he'd get to experience in six more months, and he honestly couldn't wait.


	13. Chapter 13

With their first baby picture in hand, Amy walked with Ty out of the clinic and back to the elevator to take them down to the parking deck. The whole ride in the elevator was spent with the two of them bent over the sonogram photo of their little blob of a baby, adoring smiles plastered to both of their faces.

Ty slipped his hand behind Amy's waist as she leaned against the back wall. "It looks like me already, what do you think?" Already he was beaming with fatherly pride looking down at his child. He didn't think he'd ever get tired of staring at this picture or sharing it with anyone who'd stand still long enough to look. He made sure to get a copy to keep in his wallet.

Amy studied the picture carefully before pulling it away from Ty's hand to step back and hold it up next to his head. "Well… he's definitely a lot cuter than you are," she laughed softly, pulling the photo away as the elevator doors opened to the parking garage.

"Hey now, it's got half of my genes in him remember," Ty joked with Amy as they exited the elevator to head back to the truck.

"Yeah, but the cuter half comes from me," Amy shot over the truck as she climbed in beside Ty who was pulling his wallet out of his pocket to fold his copy of the sonogram image inside of it to carry with him everywhere.

Amy scooted closer to Ty in the truck before he had a chance to turn it on and get moving, shifting the photo between them again. "Isn't it amazing that this is our baby? I mean, it's really happening. This is the start of our family."

It was hard to believe that at the beginning of it all their future looked so questionable and uncertain from all of the ups and downs their relationship struggled through. Deep down Amy and Ty both knew that they wanted to spend their life with each other, but it was difficult for them to accept when so much had happened to get in the way over the years. Now, that all seemed so long ago as they were married and expecting their first child. Their dream of owning their own farm was still just a dream, but they continued trying to make it a reality any chance they got. Unfortunately, those chances were becoming few and far between. It didn't matter how long it took, though, Amy had faith that they would find their perfect ranch one day. Right now, wherever Ty was, that was home.

Ty lifted his eyes from the baby picture to his wife, watching her continue to gaze at the photo with so much love it made his own heart ache from the strength of it.

When his time at Heartland began, Ty never would have believed he'd be on a path that led him to this moment. He never thought he deserved such a wonderful life as he'd been given by the incredible girl that sat beside him. If he ever had children, he would have thought they'd come from some unprotected casual hook-up with a girl he met at a bar that didn't mean anything to him. He loved kids and would love any child of his no matter the mother, but the idea of marrying the woman he loved and actually having a real family never felt in the cards for him because he'd grown up in such a broken home he'd been afraid he wouldn't know how to appreciate it if it was given to him. He always just assumed he was on the similar path of his own father, or destined to become a lonely nomad constantly on the run from the law. Then he came to Heartland and met Amy and was welcomed so openly into her family that he spent ten years learning what it was like to actually be a part of a real home. He came to realize that he was in charge of his own fate and the decisions he made could make or break his future - but it was all up to him. Through the love and support of the Bartlett-Fleming-Morris', Ty learned that he was worth a damn and that he did deserve to love and be loved in return. Heartland changed his life and even though there were choices he'd made over the years that he would take back if he could, he wouldn't change this one for anything. He was ready to become a father and staring into the eyes of his wife as she held the photo of their child made him absolutely positive of that.

Amy looked up when Ty neglected to say anything in response to her comment, smiling when she saw him already staring at her, but wondering why he didn't answer. "What?"

Ty shook his head, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and running his fingers through the ends of her blonde hair. "You," he replied, leaning in to rest his head against her with a grin. "You are truly amazing, do you know that? I don't know how to thank you enough for turning my life around, making me your husband, and giving me a child. I think this can go down as one of the happiest days of my life next to our wedding day and of course the day we get to welcome this little one into the world." His head turned to look at the picture Amy still held, never being so proud of anything in his life even when all they were looking at was a grainy black and white photograph of a misshapen peanut.

"Well," Amy started, brushing her nose against Ty's cheek as he looked down at the photo, causing him to turn his head to look at her again, Amy tipping her head back to properly looking to his handsome face. "You know I can't take all the credit. It was your decisions that helped bring us here, too, and I couldn't have gotten pregnant on my own, so you deserve some credit for that as well. I'm really proud of you, Ty." Amy could still remember him as the boy in the loft who copped an attitude at just about everything and was as flighty as a bird. That Ty was gone now, replaced with a kind, loving, grounded, man that Amy loved more than life itself. She always figured she'd marry some cowboy, never thinking this juvenile delinquent that showed up in the wake of her mother's death would ever mean much of anything to her. Oh how wrong she was and, for once in her life, she was glad.

"You know I couldn't have done it without your help." It was Amy's encouragement and Ty's sheer desire to be better, for not only himself, but her as well that drove him to get his GED and attend vet school so he could eventually become a man they could both be proud of.

"Can't argue with you there," Amy joked, smiling as she tipped her head to press her lips delicately to Ty's.

"It's still pretty early yet. Do you want to maybe hold off on heading back home for a while and squeeze in that little shopping trip since we're here? Maybe grab some dinner before we head back?" Ty suggested once their lips parted. He knew Amy was probably eager to get home for a number of reasons, one of them being Lou who was impatiently awaiting her chance to get a glimpse at her little niece or nephew. But they were already in the city and even though it was technically Amy's fault they were late leaving this morning, Ty still felt bad they didn't have time to browse through baby things. Aside from anxious family members waiting for news and a new horse on the farm that Amy wanted to get started with, they had no obligations that couldn't be put off until later this evening or tomorrow.

"You know Lou is going to start harassing us if we take too long to get home," Amy informed Ty with a raise of her brow, but at the same time the power was in their hands and they could make Lou wait as long as they wanted and she could do nothing about it. Amy couldn't be that mean to her poor sister, but Ty was right: they were already here and Amy didn't know when they'd be back again before her next ultrasound in a few more months.

"Come on, Amy. It won't kill her to wait another couple hours. I'm sure she's busy with those guests at the Dude Ranch now anyway. Call her to let her know we'll be late if you feel that bad…or text her?" Ty added when Amy shot him a look that said she had no intention of calling Lou. she could already anticipate her exasperated sister guilt-tripping them into coming right home.

Amy thought about it for another minute. It really wouldn't hurt anything to remain in the city for another little while. That new mare would have a little extra time to settle in and Amy liked the idea of getting a few more hours alone with Ty and their baby before it was back to work for the both of them in the morning. "Okay. Let me just text Lou first so she doesn't freak out too much," Amy laughed, reaching for her phone and shooting Lou an apologetic text with a promise that they'd be in to show off the photos first thing when they got back.

Ty reached down to turn the key in the ignition when Amy stopped him. "Let's just walk from here. I saw a children's store just a couple blocks down and this way we don't have to feed the meter." It was also a rather nice day out despite some cloud coverage and, frankly, after that long drive into the city and with a long drive back, getting out to walk would be a nice change.

Ty nodded in agreement, removing the keys from the ignition and pocketing them as he got out of the truck. Not a minute after they started heading toward the exit of the parking garage did Amy's phone ring. Pulling it out, she rolled her eyes to see Lou's number appear. She took a moment to debate on answering it, but decided she'd better or else Lou would probably just continue to call.

"Hey, Lou."

_"What do you mean you're not coming back?! I've been waiting all-"_

"Lou. We're not coming back _never_. Just not for a few more hours." Amy shook her head at Ty's amused grin, which slipped a moment when he felt his pockets and realized he left his wallet lay in the truck.

"I'll be right back." He mouthed to Amy, pointing back toward the truck. She nodded, still trying to half pay attention to Lou's ranting on the other end of the line while Ty headed back to the truck.

"Lo-Lou." There was a crackling as Amy stopped to wait for Ty, hearing Lou's voice come in and out but even when it was in it wasn't understandable over the static. "Lou I can't hear you…hello?"

_"Hell-? Am- Are- there?"_

"I'm in a parking garage. Hold on a minute." Amy said loudly and slowly into the phone as she started moving toward the exit again to get out on the street where there was better reception.

Keeping the phone against her ear, Amy tried to listen for Lou's voice to come back in through the static. It continued to come in and out until the phone beeped and dropped the call completely. Pulling the phone from her ear, Amy sighed and paused in her walking to look at it. That pause, just a fraction of a second, before she made the decision to just wait to call Lou back when she got outside made all the difference.

The car collided with her right side, the driver having seen Amy a moment too late in the very poor lighting of the garage. Amy heard it coming and turned around to see where it was. In the fraction of a second before she was hit, she could see the horrified look of the man behind the wheel beyond the glare of the headlights, his whole body tensing as he slammed on the brakes to try and stop his momentum, but was too slow. The car plowed into her, tossing Amy up onto the hood like a rag doll, her head cracking against the windshield as the car slammed to a stop, sending her rolling back down and crashing to the pavement as her world abruptly went dark.

Ty heard the screeching tires as he was stuffing his wallet back into the pocket of his jeans, his head whipping around at the thud of a body rolling up and down the hood of the car. "Amy!" Panic tore through him as he broke into a sprint through the garage, squeezing between parked cars to get to the row where the accident occurred. _Please don't be her, please don't be her,_ was all he could think to himself as he reached the scene of the accident. As much as he didn't want anyone to be hurt, he really prayed to God that it just wasn't Amy.

The driver got out, turning a traumatized look in Ty's direction as he slowed to a jog upon reaching the vehicle. "I'm so sorry. I… I didn't even see her," he stuttered, but Ty wasn't even pay attention to the man. His heart was racing in his throat as he saw Amy lying on the ground, her face covered by her hair that was partially matted with blood from the gash in her head from when it hit the windshield.

"Oh my god. Call an ambulance!" Ty shouted at the other man, feeling sick as he ran around to the front of his wife, falling down to his knees. His hands hovered over her, wanting to touch her but feared causing her pain. "Amy? Honey, answer me," Ty pleaded, carefully using his finger to push her hair away from her face. She didn't respond, Ty seeing her eyes closed and he was seized by sheer terror. "Amy. Amy, wake up. Amy you need to answer me. Please."


	14. Chapter 14

Ty refused to let go of Amy's hand. When the paramedics finally arrived in the parking garage, he'd moved back as he was forced to give them room to take care of his wife, watching helpless and afraid that he was going to lose not only her, but their child as well. While they did a general assessment of Amy's condition before pulling out the stretcher to carefully move her onto it, Ty answered the questions being asked as accurately as he could in his dazed and panicked state. He watched as they fastened a breathing tube over her mouth and strapped her down, lifting her into the ambulance. Ty dived in after them and sat where he was instructed, reaching for Amy's limp hand that he hadn't released since.

The EMTs were forced to work around him, doing a more thorough assessment of Amy's injuries, focusing mostly on the gash to her head. Ty kept his mouth shut even though there were a million and one questions wanting to pour from his lips, but he couldn't even bring himself to speak or get his vocal cords to work. He just stared unblinking at Amy, willing her to open her eyes or squeeze his hand to let him know that she was still with him. She was alive at least, but the blow to her head knocked her out cold and there was no telling what else was going on in there yet. Ty knew how tricky head injuries were, having suffered a few himself over the years, but it was the fact that Amy had yet to come to that scared him.

The trip to the hospital was only a few minutes since it was only a few blocks away from the medical center, but with the traffic taking its good old time to make room for the bus, they were set back.

The ambulance came to a halt and almost immediately the rear doors were ripped open as doctors and nurses poured out of the emergency entrance to transfer Amy to the gurney. Ty climbed out with her, only letting go of her hand for those couple seconds before he was reaching for her again and rushing along with the medical staff through the sliding doors.

Everything was happening so fast Ty had no clue what was even really going on around him. There was so much medical lingo being tossed back and forth at such an alarming rate that he couldn't follow any of it and only caught an occasional familiar word. Ty just stared down at Amy's face, squeezing her hand until he was pulled away by a nurse who couldn't grant him access beyond that point.

"Someone will find you as soon as she's stabilized," the nurse assured him before leaving Ty to stare wide-eyed at the swinging double doors that Amy had disappeared behind.

Ty remained standing there looking through the tiny glass window and having no clue what to do. He needed to be back there with her in case she woke up. He couldn't stomach the thought of her waking to those medical personnel surrounding her, terrified and not understanding what was going on or where she was and why he wasn't with her.

Ty started to shake, his hands balling into fists at his sides in an attempt to maintain some bit of control as he looked away from those doors at his surroundings to get his bearings. He didn't know where he was supposed to go or how a doctor would find him, so he didn't move. Instead, Ty backed up to the nearest wall outside those forbidden doors and slid down to the floor, resting his forearms on his bent knees. Ty stared at his hands, watching them tremble uncontrollably and clasped them tightly together, bringing them up to rest against his forehead.

His body shook with silent dry sobs as he was once again left to face the possibility of a world without Amy in it. Before it hadn't been from such a devastating trauma, but rather stupid relationship drama that seemed so ridiculous and insignificant now when they looked back on it. All he could think about was how much time they'd wasted dancing around their feelings for one another - how much time he'd wasted waiting for the perfect opportunity to propose. He couldn't help but think if he'd have asked sooner, they'd have gotten married sooner, gotten pregnant sooner, and this would have been avoided because Amy wouldn't have been in that garage today, but somewhere else. He couldn't stand to think that this was his fault in so many ways and didn't know how he would ever be able to live with himself if anything happened to her, or the baby she carried.

Ty spent what felt like hours there on the floor, his head resting against his hands as he stared at the linoleum, unmoving. His body went numb and his mind soon to match when he'd exhausted his guilt for the time being. For a brief moment he thought about calling Jack to let him know what happened, but without knowing Amy's condition wouldn't have much else to give him. Either way it was going to be a very long drive from Heartland, but Ty still couldn't bring himself to move, let alone get up and search for his cell phone. Come to think of it, he wasn't entirely sure where it had gotten to, having lost pretty much all track of everything the moment he heard those screeching tires.

Footsteps on the floor had him lifting his head that felt like it was filled with lead, but the didn't come through the doors. For someone who seemed to wait an awful lot, he couldn't stand it. If Tim were here he'd be at the front desk demanding answers and for once Ty kind of wished he was here since it appeared all he was capable of doing was sitting there on the floor and waiting. Tim would probably call him useless if he were here, but at the moment that was exactly how Ty felt. He wanted answers but was in no position to demand them and would be wasting his breath if they couldn't be given.

Eventually, Ty stopped shaking and lifted his head. He became aware that he was sitting on a lump in his back pocket and slowly forced himself to move so he could pull his wallet out of his pocket. The floor wasn't comfortable to begin with, but the bulge there was making it worse. Leaning forward, Ty dropped the wallet onto the floor between his legs, staring down at the corner of the picture that slipped out on impact. A lump wedged itself in his throat as he looked at the grainy black and white corner, slowly reaching down to pull it out. He unfolded the sonogram picture of their baby from just a couple hours ago, staring down at the disfigured gray blob and felt the tears he previously managed to keep at bay start to burn his eyes and blur his vision. His heart was aching at the thought of them possibly losing that little blob just when they finally started settling in on the idea of being parents.

"Mr. Borden?" Ty jerked his head up at the doctor's voice, sniffing away his tears as he struggled to his feet to face the doctor.

"Is she alright?" Ty asked, his voice sounding shaky and foreign to him, but his stomach was twisting in knots waiting for the doctor to answer.

"She's stable and became alert for a few moments before we had to put her under anesthetic to tend to her injuries." He removed the clipboard from under his arm then to inform Ty of what those injuries were. "We were most worried about her head trauma but there was no swelling or bleeding to her brain, just a concussion and some stitches. She's going to have a pretty severe headache for a few days though. The car struck her right side which is where the most damage occurred. She has a couple broken ribs and a collapsed lung but no other vital organs were damaged."

Ty listened carefully to the doctor's report trying to get his mind to focus and make sense of all that he was telling him. "So, she'll be okay?" he asked, unable to definitively draw that conclusion himself.

"As with all things, time will heal. She's going to have to remain here for a couple days though just to make sure no other problems arise and until she's strong enough to make the journey home."

Ty was nodding, feeling the relief start to seep through until he realized then that the doctor said nothing about the baby. "What about the baby?" Ty asked quickly, looking at the doctor anxiously.

There was an unsettling pause as he studied Ty. "We couldn't save it. I'm sorry. Your wife was always our primary concern, without her the fetus had no chance at all, but the trauma to her abdominal area was too severe for it to have survived the collision. There was too much internal bleeding."

Ty felt his heart sink so deep into the pit of his stomach he felt as if he was going to pass out, feeling the blood drain from his face as he paled. "C-can I see her?" He needed to see her. To be with her. She was probably so scared and broken.

"She won't be conscious for a few hours, but you can see her." He than gave Ty directions to Amy's room, Ty bending down to swipe his wallet off of the floor before rushing to Amy's bedside.

There was a nurse in the room when he arrived, checking Amy's IV then looking up at Ty with a small sympathetic smile. "She's a fighter," she said quietly to Ty, reaching up to place her hand gently on his shoulder.

"I know," Ty replied, nodding to the nurse as she left him alone with his wife and the steady beeping of the heart monitor in the corner.

Ty crossed the room to the chair in the other corner, dragging it across the floor to sit next to Amy's bed. He immediately reached out to slide his hand into hers, turning it over so he could rub his thumb over the back as he assessed every inch of his wife. He could see the scratches and scrapes on her arms and face. There was a bandage around her head, a small stain of blood seeping through from her stitched up wound. A nasal cannula was attached to her face to help feed oxygen into her body, Ty following the thin tube down her chest until it disappeared and he was left to let his eyes trail down her fragile body, landing on her abdomen.

The air seized up in his lungs as pain surged through him looking at her belly that he'd just rested his head on this morning and know there was no longer a baby inside of it. His hand tightened in hers as he reached out with the other to place against her stomach, but quickly removing it when he remembered her broken ribs, not wanting to cause her any pain even if she couldn't feel it right now from being under anesthetic and pain killers. He took his hand back, instead folding it around Amy's with his other and smoothing his palm delicately along her forearm as he swallowed back the threat of tears that strained against his throat and stung his eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Amy," he whispered quietly, bringing her hand up gently to press his lips to her fingers, his shoulders beginning to shake with those agonizing sobs once more at the feel of her skin against his face. This time they didn't remain dry, tears starting to slide their way down his face.


	15. Chapter 15

It seemed like all a rancher ever did was ride along his fences and mend weak lines or broken posts. Tim was out for the second day in a row staring down loose wires that bowed almost to the ground. He was working on tightening the second strand when the sound of a truck caught his attention. He turned toward the old dirt road almost directly behind him to see Jack's old beige and tan Chevy pull up alongside him. Tim sighed and stopped what he was doing as Jack climbed out and came to meet him.

"Oh, here we go." Tim could tell from the look on Jack's face that he was about to get hounded for something and there was only one thing lately that could be the cause for it.

"I was wondering when you'd come to drop the hammer and tell me just how terrible of a father I've been." Tim clapped his hands together in anticipation for whatever speech Jack was about to give him. "I know what you're going to say, Jack. In fact, I can probably tell myself off better than you."

Jack stopped in front of his former son-in-law and stared at him with a narrow gaze. "Is that so? Well, then let's hear it." Jack raised his arms to Tim, inviting him to speak up.

"It's not my place to be telling Amy how to live her life. She's a married adult now, living out on her own and getting ready to start a family. I'm her father and I should be there to support her instead of trying to dictate how she lives her life." Tim raised his brow when he finished, waiting for Jack's nod of approval. He received a nod, but it wasn't quite that amicable.

"That's right: it's not your place and it's none of your business what Amy and Ty do with their life together. You gave her away to him at their wedding, do you remember that? That was almost a year ago and you chose now to make a big stink about Amy not reaching her potential? In my mind she's far exceeded her potential already. She and Ty have been talking about a family since long before they were married. You know it and I know it and now they're finally starting one."

"I just don't want her missing out on opportunities because she's too busy having babies and what if she decides to stop working with problem horses to be a full-time mom? Then what? Sure she might enjoy it for a few years maybe but you and I both know she'll be miserable."

"I very much doubt Amy will give up living her dream, but even if she does, there's nothing you or anyone else can do about it. The bottom line is that this is Amy's decision. Not yours, not mine. She's going to do what she thinks is best for her and her family. And right now, it seems like best is keeping you at arm's length."

Jack knew Amy's distance was hurtful to Tim, but of course he tried not to show it. Even now he didn't say anything and just sniffed and moved his gaze over Jack's shoulder, resting his hands on his hips and shifting his weight.

"I just don't know if I can sit back and watch her trade in her gift for motherhood. She has something special, Jack. I don't want to see it wasted."

"I know you don't. None of us do. But we know Amy and helping those horses will always be in her heart. But right now her heart is being given to another and that baby is going to be your next grandchild. So I suggest if you ever want to see him or her, you man-up and come over to the house tonight for dinner. She and Ty went up to Calgary today for an ultrasound so I imagine they'll have some pictures to share of that grandbaby. Might be a good way to make amends." Though it had been going on for a few weeks, no one wanted this rift in the family to continue. They had too many over the years that an event like bringing a new member into the Bartlett-Fleming-Morris-Borden family should be bringing them together, not tearing them apart.

Tim looked at Jack for a long moment before the older man gave him a parting nod and turned to head back to his truck. Tim rubbed his hand over his face and sighed, knowing he needed to make things right with his daughter and son-in-law. He knew Jack was right: it wasn't any of his business what Amy and Ty did with their lives. He just hated that his shoes had been filled in both of his daughters' lives when it felt like he had just come back into them.

Tim was glad for the distraction from this heavy moment when his cell rang, pulling one of his work gloves off to dig it out of his pocket and see Lou calling. "Hey Lou."

_"Dad. Is grandpa with you?" _She sounded panicked and upset as if she was fighting tears, which had Tim suddenly standing straight and raising his eyes to Jack.

"Jack! Hold on a sec! What's wrong, Lou? What happened?" he asked, walking across the field to meet up with Jack who stopped and turned to look at Tim with a concerned frown.

_"It's Amy. She was in an accident."_

"What? I-is she okay? What kind of an accident?" Tim pointed at the truck for Jack to get in while he ran around to the other side and climbed in as well.

_"Ty said she was hit by a car. He said she was going to be okay, but it was pretty bad. She's at the hospital in Calgary." _

"We're on our way. We'll swing by to pick you up." Tim shut his phone and looked over at a confused, yet worried Jack, with a devastated expression. "Amy's in the hospital," Tim explained, further informing Jack of Lou's call as Jack threw the Chevy into gear and tore back down the road to Heartland to pick up Lou then make their way to the city.


	16. Chapter 16

It took Ty the better part of an hour before he finally sat up again, clearing his eyes and his mind as he glanced up the bed toward Amy who was still under the anesthetic. He watched her face, still beautiful behind the cuts and bruises caused from the accident. He knew he had to make that dreaded call to the rest of the family. They needed to know. But Ty just wanted to be here with Amy. He didn't want to have to deal with trying to explain to Jack and Tim and everyone else what happened and why, when he didn't exactly know himself since he didn't actually see it happen. He could hear it, though, and would never for get that horrifying sound of those screeching tires and that thump of Amy's body against the hood. He shut his eyes tightly to block it out, letting go of Amy with one hand to rub roughly over his face.

A nurse returned, giving Ty that small sympathetic smile again which he returned strictly out of politeness. "She's going to be out for a while yet, the cafeteria is just downstairs if you want anything," she suggested, but Ty just shook his head and stared down at Amy's hand in his where he suddenly realized her wedding band was missing.

"Her ring is gone," he said aloud, looking up at the nurse whose eyes trailed down to Amy's bare hand.

"It'll be with the rest of her personal affects at the nurse's station," she assured him, knowing there were plenty of dishonest people around who'd sooner take it for some quick cash than hand it off to someone for safe keeping.

"Oh, right, thank you." Ty should have realized they would have taken everything from her so it wouldn't get lost and her ring would have been a health hazard around all of the machines and medical equipment so they would have had to take it off. Still, Ty didn't like the thought of it being in the possession of anyone other than his wife. He wanted to get it, but his eyes went back to Amy and he hesitated, not wanting to leave her in case she woke up even though the nurse and doctor both told her she was going to be out for a while yet.

The current nurse seemed to notice Ty's dilemma and gave him that soft smile again. "I'll stay with her for a few minutes if you want to get her things. It's just down the hall to the right."

Ty glanced up at her then back to his wife, giving her hand a gentle squeeze as he nodded in response. "Okay." Ty stood slowly, releasing his hand from Amy's to lean over and gently place it in her hair as he leaned down to kiss a place on her forehead below the bandage. "I'll be right back," he assured her in a low voice, taking his time as he moved away from the bed to the door, not making it out into the hall without a few backward glances first.

Ty did manage to take that walk down to the nurses' station, waiting for them to find the Ziploc bag with Amy's ring and broken cell phone. Ty took it and held the ring inside the bag against his fingers.

_"With this ring, I thee wed," Amy placed the white gold band on Ty's finger, her electric blue gaze rising to meet his green one with that loving smile she only had for him. _

_She lifted her own left hand then, barely able to remain standing still as her smile widened when Ty took her own band from Caleb. He held her delicate hand in his own as he positioned the ring at the edge of her fourth finger. "With this ring, I thee wed," Ty repeated, sliding it onto her hand._

"Can I help you with anything else?" The nurse who handed Ty the baggy asked, causing him to snap out of the memory and look up at her, stumbling over his thoughts for a moment.

"Uh, do you have a phone I can use?" Since he was here, Ty decided he needed to just get it over with as the nurse handed him and old-fashioned telephone, telling him to dial 9 first to make an outgoing call. Ty then made the call to Heartland, getting Lou instead of Jack. He wasn't sure if that was better or worse, but Ty told her what happened as calmly as he could despite being able to hear the gasp on the other end and sudden panic in his sister-in-law's voice. He decided it was probably best to keep the worst of the news to tell in person, though he really wished he didn't have to tell at all. It wasn't the rest of the family he was worried about, but Amy. Ty already knew he wouldn't know how to break it to her, but he wouldn't allow a doctor to do it either. Something like that he preferred to happen in private, just with the two of them because he knew it was going to be heartbreaking and there didn't need to be an audience.

When Ty got off the phone with Lou who promised to get a hold of Jack so Ty didn't have to, he headed straight back to Amy's bedside with her things, thanking the nurse as he retook his seat next to the bed and continued his vigil.

He didn't mean to do it, but managed to fall asleep with his head resting on the bed next to where his hand once again was joined with Amy's. She lay unmoving, but still Ty snapped awake when he felt a hand against his back, jerking his head up to look at who touched him.

"Easy now, it's just us," Jack said, standing beside Tim and Lou. His voice was calm and quiet, but Ty could see the pain and sorrow in his eyes from seeing his granddaughter laying so weak and fragile in the hospital for a second time.

Ty felt so disoriented as he blinked hard to wake himself up again, his eyes finding Amy again to see if anything had changed while he'd been asleep. It hadn't. She hadn't moved so much as a muscle, her head still positioned the same as it had been since he arrived and her arms still laying flat and limp at her sides except for the hand Ty held tightly in his.

"How is she?" Lou asked, her eyes staring at Amy even though she was obviously speaking to Ty.

"No change. They said she'd be out for a couple hours yet." Ty already told Lou that overall Amy would be okay, physically, with time. What he didn't know was how long it would take her to emotionally heal once she woke up and learned their baby was gone. Even he wasn't sure how to cope with it, but he needed to be strong for Amy. She would need him to hold her together and that's exactly what he was going to do.

"So, what exactly happened?" Tim asked then, looking at Ty almost as if looking for just the right words to jump on with an accusal.

"We were leaving the medical center to take a walk through the city when I realized I forgot my wallet in the truck and went back to get it while Amy was on the phone with Lou. After that, I don't know what happened until I heard the car screech and ran to find her laying on the ground," Ty paused when his voice lost its strength, taking a moment to swallow the hard lump in his throat and find it again as Jack placed his hand on his shoulder. "The driver said he didn't see her," he finished, still not understanding how he couldn't. It was a poorly lit parking garage, but surely he'd have seen her from his headlights, which Ty witnessed to be on as they'd illuminated his wife's motionless body.

"So, so you left her?" Of course Tim would take anything he could find. He was upset, just like everyone else, but his way of expressing it just added to the guilt Ty already felt.

"I was gone for not even a minute," Ty argued, still trying to rationalize what happened in his own mind because it made no sense. Not the details of the accident, but the incident itself. Why Amy? Why did it have to happen to her, now, today, when they were so happy and eagerly looking forward to sharing the first images of their baby with the rest of their family. It wasn't fair.

"It's not Ty's fault, Tim. It was an accident, could have happened to anyone." Jack tried to reason, wanting to keep this argument from escalating to the boiling point it reached a few weeks ago at dinner when Ty and Amy announced they were expecting.

"Yeah, but it didn't. It happened to Amy, our Amy." Tim's voice rose, his arm coming out to accentuate his words by gesturing to Amy laying unconscious in the hospital bed in front of them.

"Excuse me," a nurse popped her head in with a small disapproving frown. "Please keep your voices down or move into the waiting area, there are patients trying to rest." She looked pointedly at each of them in turn before passing a glance at Amy and moving on down the hall.

"She's right, come on. Let's let Amy rest." Lou suggested, trying to begin herding everyone toward the door.

"No, I'm staying here." Ty shook his head, not bothering to make an attempt to move or get up.

"Well I'm going to try to find someone who actually knows something." Tim ran a hand through his hair before vacating the room in search of a doctor with some answers. Ty looked up as he left, dreading the thought of Tim learning of the baby first and just what kind of heated discussion that would cause.

"Ty," Jack looked down at him, Ty feeling the older man's eyes on him and slowly meeting his gaze, speaking words he didn't need to say out loud.

"I'm not leaving her." Ty told him firmly, directing the declaration to Lou as well. "Not again," he added, his eyes falling to Amy's face, guilt so heavy in his chest it was suffocating.

There was a pause when neither Lou or Jack did anything but study Ty, but Jack was the first to move, nodding toward Lou who understood and followed him out into the hall toward the waiting area, once again leaving Ty alone with his tormented thoughts of desperation for Amy to wake up, of dread for what would happen when she did, and despair for the situation in general.


	17. Chapter 17

Tim's hands smacked down on the counter of the nurse's station, causing the woman sitting behind the desk to jump a little at the sudden noise and look up at him with the beginnings of an irritated frown. "Can I help you, sir?"

"I need to speak with the doctor in charge of my daughter's case. Her name's Amy Flem-, uh, Borden." Tim demanded, stumbling over Amy's name. After a year of no longer being a Fleming it still hadn't quite caught up to him yet.

The nurse moved over to her computer and typed Amy's name into the system, waiting for her information to appear, drawing out Tim's impatience. "That would be Doctor Mathers. I'll page him for you, have a seat." She threw her eyes over toward the little waiting room right across the hall, directing Tim in that direction so he wouldn't stand there and crowd her.

Tim glanced toward the waiting area but didn't move to go sit there, instead shifted off to the side and leaned against the counter. "It's okay, I'll wait." The nurse sighed and tried not to roll her eyes as she picked up the phone to get the page out over the speaker system when Jack and Lou joined Tim.

"I can't believe this," Tim started, turning his back on the nurse and folding his arms over his chest with a shake of his head. "If she hadn't-"

"Don't you even go there," Jack raised an accusing finger to cut him off. He knew where Tim was going to go with that statement and was in no way going to allow him to place blame on anyone, or anything, for what was nothing but an accident. "It was an accident, Tim. A case of wrong place, wrong time."

"Yeah? What about that driver, huh? Where the hell is he in all of this?" In Tim's mind, there was always someone to blame. He could place blame on any one of them, including himself, but right now he chose to split it between Ty and this driver.

"I don't know, Tim, why don't you go down to that parking garage and see if he's still around," Jack snapped back, so tired of his ex-son-in-law's bull when it did nothing to help situations and usually tended to make them worse than what they started out as.

"Can you two just stop, please? Placing blame isn't going to change the fact that it happened and Amy is laying in there…" Lou placed her hand in front of her mouth when her voice cracked and tears started to well in her eyes before she could finish what she intended to say.

"Anyway, it's my fault," she said after taking a moment to get a hold of herself again. "I was the one on the phone with her when she got hit. I was frustrated because I just wanted to know how the appointment went and to see those ultrasound photos and she and Ty decided to stay a few more hours in the city and I… God, I was so stupid and selfish. If I hadn't gotten upset Amy wouldn't have been on the phone and…" Lou's voice faltered again.

Tim's face fell when he saw Lou's guilt take hold of her, realizing then how his mission to find someone to blame was affecting her when she already felt as if it were her fault. It made his heart sink to see her in tears, upset with herself for having been the reason Amy was distracted and not paying attention to where she was walking. Lou was right in thinking she could be to blame, but that wasn't fair. She didn't deserve to carry that around with her. "Lou…" Tim said quietly, reaching out to wrap his arm around her and pull her into him, rubbing his hand along her back. "It's okay, honey. It's not your fault."

"Yes it is! It is my fault. I called her. I should have just texted her back, but I had to call her…" Lou pressed her eyes shut with her chin resting on her dad's shoulder, reaching her hand up to wipe at the few tears that began seeping from her eyes and was thankful that she'd left Georgie to babysit Katie so they weren't here to see their mother like this. She was supposed to be strong for them but right now she felt everything but.

"If we're going to play the blame game, then each and every one of us is going to lose, including Amy. It's going to do nothing but cause problems we don't need to deal with right now and won't do anything to give us the things we need to hear right now. Like Amy is going to be fine. Did you forget that part? She may be be a little beaten and bruised, but she's alive and will be okay in time." All Jack wanted to do right now was look to the bright side of everything. Amy was alive, that's what mattered. That's all that mattered and that's what everyone should be happy about and rallying around.

"But what about the baby, Grandpa? What if… what if it didn't survive?"

"She can always have another baby, Lou. When the time is right," Tim answered, causing Lou to jerk away from him with a look of contempt.

"How can you say that? That poor innocent life could have just been destroyed, but oh well, it's replaceable. I can't believe you. That baby is a part of our family, Dad. My niece, or nephew, your grandchild. How can you be so heartless?!" Lou was appalled, unable to wrap her mind around Tim's attitude toward this whole pregnancy in general. She didn't understand why he was so against it. So he wanted Amy to rise to the top of the equine world, but that was no excuse to dismiss her pregnancy as an obstacle preventing her from doing it.

But Tim was shaking his head, reaching out for Lou again feeling like he'd just been slapped from the look she gave him. "No, Lou, that's not what I was trying to say. I-" But he was cut off when the doctor approached, asking if they were Amy's family. They nodded, gathering around him as he leaned over the counter to dig through the files next to the nurse for Amy's.

"We were told she's going to be okay." Lou said, looking to the doctor for confirmation.

"Yes, she will fully recover with time and proper care, but as I told her husband she's going to need to remain her for a couple days for further observation just to make sure no further problems arise."

"Further problems… like what?" Tim asked, not liking the sound of it.

"Well, she hit her head pretty hard and while there was no sign of internal bleeding and her motor functions are fine, we won't know if there was any real damage until she wakes up. If there is any damage to her frontal lobe, it'll be more emotional and behavioral based than physical, so we can't assess it until we can speak with her. As for her other physical injuries, uh, she has a couple fractured ribs that collapsed her lung on that side, but we were able to place a tube into her chest to pull out the air and allow the lung to properly expand again. But none of her vital organs were punctured or very severely damaged." Though there was quite a bit to process, the doctor was speaking slowly and studying each of their expressions to determine if they were following and where he might need to elaborate, trying his best not to speak in medical terms but with words they'd be able to comprehend. "However," he started again, not wanting to deliver this news but it was a part of Amy's injuries that needed to be addressed. "the trauma to her abdomen caused the fetus she carried to be aborted."

"Ab-aborted?" Lou repeated, feeling the color drain from her face when the doctor nodded.

"Truth be told, if the accident hadn't terminated the pregnancy, it's probable that she wouldn't have been able to carry to full term from her injuries and would have miscarried anyway. As terrible as it sounds, it's better that it happened this way."

"Better?" Tim blurted out, not understanding how that was "better."

"Easier, I should say. She wasn't very far along, so there was no true bond between her and the fetus yet as there would have been later on when she would start to feel it."

"Easier… why don't you go in there when she wakes up and tell her that? Tell her she just lost her child and then see how much easier it is. I bet you don't have kids, do you?" Tim snapped.

The doctor took a deep breath and studied Tim, watching the man become worked up and almost hostile, but remained calm himself, knowing it wasn't his job to get personal. "No. I don't," he admitted, already having had this argument a number of times over the years, so he already knew what Tim was going to say.

"So, so you really have no idea how this is going to affect my daughter. Don't tell us it's best or easier this way when the fact of the matter is, her baby just died." The words flew out of Tim's mouth with the force of the ache that just took over his chest when reality just came crashing down on top of him. It hit him like a ton of bricks and he was left standing there just staring hard at the doctor and clenching his jaw tight to ward off any real emotion that now threatened to invade the steel that just melted away.

The doctor just continued to watch Tim calmly, waiting for him to finish before looking to Jack and Lou, letting Tim's irritation roll off of him and let it go. He was upset; it was understandable and there wasn't a thing he could say that would change it or make it better. He just told them like it was. "As I told her husband, she's going to be out for another couple of hours, so I suggest going home and getting some rest or getting comfortable there in the waiting area. Cafeteria is just downstairs," he told them, pausing to see if they had any further questions before giving a nod of departure and returning to his rounds.

Lou stood fighting tears, swallowing hard and staring down at the floor. She took a slow breath before lifting a heated gaze to her father. "This is your fault. You wanted this to happen. You've been against that baby from the beginning. Well, guess what, Dad, you won. Are you happy now?" Lou's voice shook with rage and hurt as she stormed off back toward Amy's room.

"Lou-" Tim started to stop her, feeling that knife rip further into his chest, but stood his ground and watched her go. His eyes shifted over to Jack who was looking at him rather indifferently.

"Go ahead, say it."

"Say what?"

"You know what."

"It amazes me that it took them losing that baby for you to realize you were a damn fool. Maybe one day you'll learn a lesson before it's too late." Jack shook his head, then followed Lou back to Amy's room.

Tim remained there in the hall, pulling his hat from his head and running a distressed hand through his hair. Jack was right, he never seemed to come to the right conclusions until the consequences were already staring him in the face. That was how he'd always been, though, diving head first, full speed ahead. It got him in enough trouble in the past, even he would have thought he'd know better by now, but he still lived with the mentality of a rodeo cowboy - all or nothing, every ride.


	18. Chapter 18

Ty looked up from watching his thumb rub over Amy's hand when Lou returned to the room looking ashen. It didn't take more than that for Ty to figure out what upset her. "I guess you talked to the doctor," he assumed with his eyes falling away from his sister-in-law.

Lou had been spaced out as she wandered back to Amy's room, heartbroken and scared for her sister. She knew better than most how both excited and nervous Amy was about becoming a mom, Lou probably being excited enough for the both of them. She'd been waiting forever for her and Ty to break that news. Though, admittedly, her anxiety from the matter wasn't nearly at bad as when she'd been waiting for Ty to pop the question. All the back and forth gave her whiplash. This, though. This felt like a huge slap in the face. She stared almost blankly at Ty for a moment when he spoke to her, having to take the time to process what he just said. "Yeah. Yeah, we did." Her gaze wandered to her sister still asleep and blissfully unaware of what was happening outside the confines of her own mind.

Ty said nothing, merely nodding in response because he really had no idea of what to say and feared opening his mouth would weaken the wall he erected to get him through these next few hours until Amy woke up.

At his lack of voice, Lou returned her eyes to him, watching him try to hold himself together, distracting his mind by running his hand back and forth along Amy's forearm. She wanted to say something but the words 'I'm sorry' just seemed so generic and weak. As she studied Ty, though, she realized that probably the best thing to do for him right now was to leave him be. "Call when she wakes up?"

Ty again nodded, lifting his eyes to Amy's face for the umpteenth time as if expecting her to open her eyes as if on cue. He still wasn't sure if he wanted her to or not, not yet ready to break the devastating news that he knew would crush her.

Lou stepped up beside the bed to delicately touch her hand to Amy's head in parting before leaving Ty to be alone with his wife. She caught Jack in the hall on his return. "Ty's going to let us know when she wakes up," Lou informed him, causing Jack to stop and cast a glance toward the room, taking a moment to catch what Lou was getting at. In the end he nodded and extended his arm behind her back to guide her back toward the lobby.

Tim was pacing the line of chairs in the waiting area, running his hand through his hair while the other held tightly to his hat. He paused and looked up when he caught sight of Lou and Jack. "Is she awake," he asked anxiously.

Lou settled her hard gaze on him, hesitating a moment before Jack spoke up to answer instead. "Not yet. We're going to leave them some space for now."

"Space?" Tim wanted to protest, to say Ty didn't need space and that he had no intentions of leaving until Jack once again held a hand up to stop him.

"He's got enough on his mind without us here breathing down his neck. He'll call when Amy wakes up. There's not much else we can do here in the mean time so we might as well go home and get some real work done."

There was a pause where Tim contemplated continuing to argue. He came with Lou and Jack, so if he decided to be hardheaded and stay, he'd be without a ride home, but at least he'd be here for when Amy woke up. Still, after a glance toward Amy's room with Ty keeping his vigil, decided not to create any more tension. "Okay. No, you're right. Won't be much use sitting around." Tim nodded, sounding more like he was trying to convince himself of that as he placed his hat back on his head and walked with Lou and Jack back out to the truck.

The ride back to Hudson was painfully quiet, everyone settled in their own thoughts and worries, no one daring to bring up anything to do with Amy or the accident, and especially not the baby. They dropped Tim off back at his truck before Jack and Lou made the rest of the journey back to Heartland where Georgie was sitting with Katie out on the porch playing with her toy horses. The girls looked up, Georgie walking with her little sister and helping her down the few steps to meet Lou and Jack on the walking path.

"Is Amy okay?" she asked anxiously, her dark eyes filled with concern. One look at her daughters and Lou almost broke into tears again, but she swallowed them down and reached out to take Katie's hand, placing the other on Georgie's shoulder to turn her back toward the house.

"She will be. Come on inside and get a snack." Lou tossed a look over her shoulder to see Jack heading in the opposite direction toward the barn, figuring he was checking on the horses as he figured Amy would be asking him to do.

"What happened?" Georgie was asking as she settled into a kitchen chair beside Katie while Lou opened the fridge to find something to give the girls that would also keep herself busy.

Lou ended up pulling out a couple apples and dug into the cabinet for a jar of peanut butter, closing her eyes as she faced away from the girls and took a deep breath. Sooner or later Georgie was going to learn the fate of her much-anticipated cousin and Lou really wasn't sure how she would take it, or exactly how she was supposed to tell her. "A car hit her," Lou answered carefully, taking a knife and starting to slice the first apple into sections.

"A car? It's daytime. Didn't the driver see her?"

That seemed to be the question of the day today and an answer no one could really understand. "They were in a parking garage. I guess it was too dark. I really don't know, Georgie."

There was a silence after that while Lou finished slicing up apples and scooping peanut butter into a dish then turned to place them on the table for the girls to share. But while Katie was first to reach out and take a slice of apple, Georgie remained staring at the table, biting on her lip.

"Hey." Lou moved around the table to squat beside her. "She's going to be okay. Ty's there with her. She'll be home in a few days but I promise next time we visit we'll bring you along so you can see for yourself, okay?"

Georgie nodded, turning her brown gaze toward her mother. "So, the baby is okay then, too?"

She knew it was coming, eventually, but hoped it wouldn't be now, today, so soon after she just learned herself and was still processing it. But Georgie asked and Lou knew she couldn't lie to her or divert the conversation away because she didn't want to talk about it. She was old enough now to hear things like this and certainly mature enough to handle it. But that didn't make Lou's task of telling her any easier. It seemed her hesitance to answer was all that Georgie needed, though, to put the pieces together.

"It's not, is it? Please don't lie to me, Mom. I'm not a little kid anymore."

That made Lou smile a little as she reached up to run her hand over Georgie's head. "No. You're not."

"Both of my parents died, remember? You don't need to keep protecting me. I can handle it. The baby… it died, didn't it?" she asked hesitantly.

Tears seeped out of Lou's eyes at Georgie's strength. The girl had seen so much tragedy in her life, when she and Peter adopted her all they wanted was to give the girl a real home and a stable, happy life after she spent so much of hers being shuffled around between foster homes and running away. But Georgie was right, she was a teenager now and with all of the challenges of her past came an ability to cope and accept that life just wasn't fair and a lot of the time downright cruel.

"Yeah, sweetie. It did," Lou finally answered quietly, trying to hold her own tears at bay as she studied Georgie's face. For a moment nothing seemed to happen as they both just gazed at each other, Lou letting the news sink in and allowing Georgie to properly register it. But eventually neither one of them could contain their heartache anymore and the moment Lou saw those tears begin to spill from Georgie's brown eyes, hers began to follow. Georgie didn't say a word, but she didn't have to because they all felt the same.

Lou reached out to wrap her arms around her daughter, Georgie doing the same as she rest her head on her mother's shoulder. Their tears remained silent as Lou's hand rubbed her back in a soothing motion holding onto her tightly.


	19. Chapter 19

Ty was relieved to see everyone leave and again let him be alone with Amy. He was glad they came, but in all honesty didn't have the mental capability to deal with anything more than what he was that very moment. He was thinking about so much, like what he was going to say to Amy when she finally woke up, but when other people were around it was like his brain just went numb and he didn't have a single cohesive thought. Not only could he not focus on anything else, he didn't want to. As her husband, Amy's well-being was first and foremost his priority. He tried not to look at the bandages and scrapes that covered her body, but at the same time they just couldn't be ignored. His gaze lingered on her shut eyes on and off for hours as he sat glued to that chair beside her bed, holding her hand and rubbing his fingers along her arm. He never moved, never let go. Even when he started to nod off again, Ty just leaned down to rest his head on the edge of the bed rather than leaning back to slouch in the chair.

Slowly, Amy felt herself beginning to regain consciousness, but as she did, realized right away that she didn't want to. Her body was so sore and felt so heavy like her blood turned to lead. Her head throbbed so painfully above her right eye that her eyeball actually hurt. Her right side ached each time she breathed in, making the breaths shallow and slow. She lay there fighting off consciousness, wanting to go back to sleep not only to make the pain go away again but because she was so tired. Her eyes were so heavy she couldn't even get them to open without a fight and even when they did they were barely just slits. Her vision was blurry and the light of the room burned and made her head throb, causing her to shut them again. She managed to get a very brief look into her room, which she noticed right away wasn't her room.

There were noises around her that weren't familiar, at least not in the sense that reminded her of home. She could hear something beeping next to her and people talking in the hallway. It was all a little muffled as she was still fighting the line between sleep and being awake. She started moving her fingers, trying to figure out why she was in so much pain and what exactly was hurt. Her right hand moved easily but her left was still trapped in Ty's hand, hindering the movement. Feeling him there, Amy forced her eyes to open again so she could see him, extending her fingers out toward his face that was turned in her direction. The tips brushed delicately over the scruff of his chin.

Ty felt something tickle his face and turned his head to rub against the blanket to itch it away. But the motion woke him and he started to sit up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He focused his gaze on Amy then, blinking a few times when he saw those blue eyes peeking out at him, wondering if he was just seeing things. "Amy." She was awake. Relief and panic flooded into his chest as he shifted to lean toward her head, resting his hand on her shoulder. "Hey. How are you feeling?"

Like her body, her mind felt tired and heavy, even fuzzy. She was trying to piece things together to figure out where she was or what happened before she'd fallen asleep. But when Ty asked her how she was feeling, she was met with another challenge of getting her voice to work. It seemed to take more concentration and effort than it should have. "It hurts," she barely whispered, Ty having to lean in close to actually hear her.

His eyes trailed her body. "Just hang on, let me get the doctor." Ty didn't want to leave her, but forced his hand to let go of hers and went back to the hall to locate a nurse, who in turn went to page Amy's doctor, allowing Ty to return to Amy's room and retake his place at her bedside. She was still awake, which was a surprising relief to Ty as he reached out to take her hand again. "He's on his way," he assured her.

"What happened?" she asked, finding her mind incapable of locating that particular memory at the moment; though she found that trying only made her head ache even more.

Ty looked at her, wondering if she'd suffered some kind of amnesia from the accident. It shouldn't be surprising really considering she hit her head, but scared him anyway that she didn't remember, or was maybe just too disoriented to try at the moment. "There was an accident… when we were leaving the medical center. Don't you remember?" Ty was almost afraid to ask, uncertain of the answer he would receive.

Amy watched him through the haze of her vision and tried to clear away the fog in her mind when Ty said there was an accident. She remembered being at the medical center now that he said it. "Sonogram." They were there for her first sonogram, seeing their little misshapen baby on the screen.

Ty nodded, a cautionary relieved smile pulling at his lips. "That's right. After the sonogram, we were in the parking garage headed out into the city when Lou called." His words were slow as he watched Amy's face for any sign of understanding or not. She was silent for a long time, but Ty could still see her eyes looking at him so he knew she was still awake. "Amy? Do you remember?"

Vaguely. It was like she was trying to pull the remnants of a dream back into her consciousness. She knew it was there and could even make out some details, but still just out of her immediate reach. She could see the garage and remembered sitting in the truck looking at the picture with Ty. They were going to remain in the city for a while longer, but she forgot why, just that Lou had been upset about it.

"Amy?" Ty pressed, searching her eyes that just seemed to glaze over as she struggled to relive those moments.

"Lou wanted to see the pictures." She could hear her sister's disappointed voice on the other end of the phone, but then it cut out like the conversation just ended there. Amy closed her eyes against the pain in her head from both her struggle to remember and the lights stabbing into her sensitive vision.

"Right. You were talking to her when I went back to get my wallet I left in the truck," Ty continued slowly, hoping that him telling her would jog her memory. He watched her face contort with pain and the effort to remember. "It's okay if you can't remember." He didn't want her to further hurt herself.

But Amy was starting to see it. The picture was blurry but if she relived everything from sharing the sonogram image with Ty to watching him walk back to the truck, her memory began to move forward again. Lou's voice cut out because the reception in the garage had been spotty and poor. In her vision, Amy turned to look at a bright flash of light, but her eyes were still closed.

Before Amy could get the picture to clear in her memory, Doctor Mathers came into the room, nodding toward Ty then directing his attention to Amy. "It's good to see you awake Mrs. Borden. I understand you're experiencing some pain?"

Amy opened her eyes to look at the doctor who was hovering over her, looking down at her in a kind way as he waited patiently for her to answer. "My head. And my side." Actually, pretty much her entire body was sore, but those places were the worst.

The doctor nodded as he removed the stethoscope from his neck and began going through all of the usual checks. "They were the places that suffered the greatest trauma. I'll up your morphine dosage to ease the pain and help you sleep. Rest is really what you need for your body to heal. Do you remember what happened?"

Ty just went through that, but Amy was better able to answer the doctor now that she had some of those answers herself and didn't have to go through the process of remembering all over again. "I was in an accident."

"Good. And do you know your name?"

"Amy Borden."

"And who is this? What's his name?"

"That's my husband, Ty."

"Do you know your wedding anniversary?"

Amy paused, a pause that caused the doctor to glance at Ty who stared down at Amy with a concerned expression. "June 16th."

Doctor Mathers looked up at Ty for confirmation. He nodded and that seemed to satisfy the doctor's concern of memory loss. "Good. That's good, Amy. It doesn't seem you've suffered any memory loss. That bump to your head was our biggest concern since brain injuries are hardest to combat. You have a couple cracked ribs from where the car struck and since they didn't puncture any vital organs we're just going to leave them to heal on their own. You're going to feel pretty bad for the next few weeks while your body works on healing itself, so once you're home that means taking it easy. We don't want you having to come back here from reinjuring yourself." He smiled knowingly, aware that many people were not content with being bed ridden even after they started feeling back to their old selves. One wrong move could have them back to square one again.

Amy listened to the doctor, or tried to. Her attention was drifting in and out from her desire to close her eyes and go back to sleep, which caused her thoughts to wander. She waited for him to say how the baby fared in all of this, figuring that since he hadn't said anything that it was doing okay. But when the nurse came to replace her morphine drip with a new one, Amy's mind clicked into place. "That won't harm the baby?" she asked her eyes moving away from the bag to the doctor who stopped talking abruptly and shot a look over to Ty.

He knew this was coming. For hours he agonized over it and tried to mentally prepare himself for it, but the way she asked so blissfully ignorant made Ty's heart ache as his gaze lowered to his wife.

Her eyes moved from the doctor to Ty when she saw him look at her husband. "What?" The way they were looking at each other and now her was making her nervous, which could be heard by the increase of her heart on the monitor beside her bed. "Ty?"

"I'll be back to check on you in a little while," the doctor said, dismissing himself and allowing them to have their privacy.

Amy's head was starting to ache as she stared at her husband, very much disliking the fact that he wasn't answering her. "Ty. The baby's all right… right?"

He looked up the bed at her, trying so hard to open his mouth and get his voice to work but he couldn't form the words and hold his tears at bay at the same time. "Amy…" was all he could say with his voice strained and sounding forced. His hand tightened in hers when he saw her expression change abruptly.

"No… no." Her voice shook and cracked as hot tears began to seep from her eyes. Her head was throbbing so hard she thought it was going to split in two and her silent sobs made her ribs ache. She tried to hold them back, but they came of their own accord.

"I'm sorry, Amy. I'm so sorry," Ty finally said after swallowing the lump in his throat. He leaned up to cradle Amy's face tenderly in his hand, resting his lips against the tears streaming down her cheeks. He wanted so badly to crawl into that bed and wrap her up tightly in his arms and hold her while she cried but he couldn't. Not without making her pain worse. Quietly he shushed her, pulling his head back to look at the heartbreak in her eyes and trying not to let it further shatter him. He told himself he would be strong for her and that's what he was going to be.

Ty ran his thumb over her face to wipe at her tears. "It'll be okay, I promise. You just need to focus on getting better, okay? You need to rest."

"No," Amy groaned, wishing the pain killers would hurry up and do their job so she could cry without causing herself to shed additional tears from the pain. "No, it's not okay, Ty. It's not." Sobs shook her once the words were out and she had to shut her eyes again against the pain that shocked her body. She couldn't tell what was physical and what was emotional anymore, except that she didn't before have such a terrible ache in her chest until then. It felt like it was being tightened in a vice and made it hard for her to breath alongside the pain in her ribcage.

She didn't remember what happened much after that, blacking out entirely from the agony of learning their baby didn't survive the accident. A nurse had come in and injected her with a sedative that lulled her to sleep within a few short minutes, giving Ty a reprieve and chance to fall back into the chair beside her bed.


	20. Chapter 20

After given the sedative, Amy was in and out of consciousness for the next several hours. She slept most of the time, but Ty could see her sleep wasn't restful. She whimpered and mumbled incoherently and if she could move without hurting herself, he was sure the small twitches of her fingers would be more profound throughout the rest of her body. When she was awake she wasn't entirely coherent either, it being obvious that she was still suffering under the effects of the sedative. Her words became a little more understandable then, but a lot of what she said didn't make sense from her groggy drug-induced stupor. Ty rode out those hours the best he could, alternating between sitting and stroking Amy's hand and pacing to keep the circulation flowing in his legs and to stretch out a little to keep himself awake.

When night fell, a nurse appeared with a tray of food for Amy, telling him that when she woke up he should try to get her to eat something. Ty didn't think she would, but nodded anyway so the nurse would just set the tray down and leave.

Somewhere within those long hours, Ty received a phone call from Jack asking how Amy was doing. Ty didn't want to lie to him, but he also had no idea how to answer, not sure himself how his wife was doing. It was hard to tell from the way the medication she was on seemed to muddle her mind and constantly drag her back to unconsciousness.

"I don't know. She's still drifting in and out of consciousness," was Ty's best reply, his voice thick with exhaustion. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been so tired. Not even the all-nighter he pulled before a big exam left him feeling this spent.

"_Maybe you should come home for a bit, Ty. You sound like you could use a few hours of sleep yourself_," was Jack's next comment, noticing the heaviness of Ty's voice. He worried for his grandson-in-law just as much as he did his granddaughter, sitting there alone just waiting for something to happen.

"I'm fine. I'll catch a couple hours later." Probably not, but sleep wasn't at all a good enough reason for him to drive all the way back to Hudson, leaving Amy here all alone. He couldn't do it. He wouldn't.

That had been a few hours ago now, though, and Ty actually had caught a few minutes of restless sleep before being awoken by Amy's whimpering. He opened his eyes and turned to look at her, making a face of discomfort as he flexed his neck to work out the kinks from the odd angle he'd fall asleep slouched in the chair.

He watched her lips tremble as she formed inaudible words, her forehead twitching into a frown. Her head rolled to the side as she tried to fight away something in her dream, causing her to groan. Ty moved to reach for her hand, placing his hand on her arm as he had so many times to try and soothe her.

_"Ty?!" Amy shouted, his name echoing around her. It was dark. Why was it so dark? She hated the dark. Turning around and around, she tried to find a light source, something to lead her away from this frightening place. Wherever it was, she didn't want to be here. It sent unpleasant chills down her spine. "Ty…" Why wasn't he answering her? Panic seized her as she stumbled forward, totally blind. She couldn't even see her hands in front of her face it was so dark. She had no sense of direction but knew she couldn't just stand there. Her hands reached all around her trying to feel for a wall or something to guide her while her feet took one careful step after another. She wanted to run, but because she couldn't see, didn't want to risk hitting a wall or falling off a cliff or stumbling into God knows what. "Ty, please… please help me," her voice shook with fear, afraid she was going to be lost in this darkness forever. She didn't want to be here. She wanted to go home._

_Amy froze when she caught a new sound penetrating the silence that surrounded her. Her labored breathing was the only thing she could hear before, but now there was something else. Pausing, Amy held her breath to listen. "…Ty?" She called again into the darkness._

_"Amy!" She spun around, eyes searching through the black abyss. _

_"Ty?" Amy took a step in the direction of the voice, but paused again when the noise from just a moment ago became louder. When she turned back toward it, there was a light in the distance in the shape of a doorway. Her heart jumped into a sprint as she forgot all about Ty's voice and headed for the light. Throwing caution to the wind, she broke into a run toward it before it could disappear. It grew larger as she drew closer, the sound becoming louder to where Amy realized it was a baby crying. _

_She slowed as she approached the open door, looking into what appeared to be a hospital nursery, but when she entered the room there was only one crib. Peering into it, Amy saw it was empty. So where were those cries coming from?_

_"Amy." Ty's voice was right behind her, causing her to jump, startled, as she turned to look at him. _

_"Ty… the baby…" She was confused, still able to hear the crying child as if it were in that bassinet right behind her._

_"It's not here."_

_"Where is it?" But he didn't answer, only turned to look back through the doorway into the darkness. Amy followed his gaze, the cries growing faint as she stepped away from the empty bassinet, but hesitated in the doorway. "I don't want to go back into the dark."_

_"You must. He needs you." _

_"No…" When she turned to look for Ty again, he was gone. "Ty? Ty, please don't make me. Please."_

_"I'm right here, Amy." His voice was faint again, far away and coming from the darkness._

_The dark frightened her. She didn't want to get lost again, but the soft assurance in Ty's voice comforted her, brought her to step out of the light and back into the dark. "Ty, where are you?" _

_"I'm right here," was his distant reply, bringing her to start toward it, pausing to look back toward the nursery, but it was no longer there, swallowed again by the darkness. _

_"Amy!" She jumped at Ty's panicked voice booming from behind her. Whipping around, her eyes widened as she was blinded by a bright flash of light._

Amy's eyes snapped open as she jerked awake, sitting bolt upright in a panicked daze. Her head throbbed, sending black spots swimming before her eyes and she cried out from the stabbing ache in her ribs, squeezing her eyes shut as her hands flew to rest on each place.

"Whoa, whoa… hey," Ty said quietly, having caught Amy in his arms when she sat up. His hands were light on her body, ready to steady her if need be but not touching her to firmly in case he hurt her.

"Ty?" Amy groaned, her eyes pressed shut against the pain.

"It's okay. I'm right here," he assured her, running his hand lightly over her back, watching her pretty face contort with the pain.

_"I'm right here." _The words echoed in her head but brought a sense of security over her she'd felt after hearing them in her dream. She was safe here away from the darkness. "Ty, the baby…" Her voice shook as she tipped her head to rest against him, his arms coming around her to hold her there against him without squeezing her like she could feel he wanted to through the flex of his fingers.

"It'll be okay, Amy," he told her again, firmly believing that it would, eventually. As with everything, time healed. Right now that's what they had to look forward to.

"No… it's my fault." A sob burst out of her lungs without her permission, causing her ribs to smart and in turn opening the flood gates to the rest of them. "It's all my fault. I'm sorry, Ty. I'm so sorry," she cried against him, reaching up to grip a handful of his shirt in her fist.

Ty's jaw clenched against the threat of his own tears listening to Amy's guilt finally begin to settle in. He knew she'd blame herself because he blamed himself - for walking away, for not just moving the truck out to park on the street and pay the damn meter, even for getting her pregnant when he had. They could have been more careful, should have been. They planned to have kids, both of them wanting to be parents, but they were looking further down the line. Not much further, but just not right now. "It's not, Amy. It was just an accident. That's all. It could have happened to anyone, including me." And he wished it had.

Of course it was her fault. She'd been stupidly paying more attention to her cell phone than where she was walking. She might as well have been trying to text and drive from how careless and irresponsible she'd been. She deserved to lose their baby, but Ty didn't. She'd been so excited to see him become a father. He'd have been fantastic at it and she more than anything wanted to give him a child. But, of course, she managed to destroy hope of that now, too. Not forever, they could try again eventually when she was healed and her body capable of handling another pregnancy, but it became just a huge question mark again because she knew she'd be afraid when that time came. Afraid of history repeating itself or that she wouldn't be able to carry a child after the trauma her body suffered through. It scared her and broke her to think she and Ty might not be able to become parents now because of her.


	21. Chapter 21

The few days that Amy had to remain in the hospital were up and down. Amy slept through most of the time; though, from what Ty could tell her sleep wasn't restful. She continued trying to fight her way through the onslaught of nightmares which just left her exhausted and upset when she did finally wake from them. She wouldn't say what they were about, but Ty could venture a guess. When she was awake, she was almost completely quiet and didn't remove her eyes from the television hanging on the wall across from her bed, though he would bet she had no clue what was up on the screen. A lot of the time Ty couldn't tell if she wanted him there with her or not, but couldn't bring himself to leave except for a few hours one afternoon when Jack came and threatened to throw him out himself. It was the first light moment since the accident and Ty was too completely drained of energy to argue. He didn't even realize it until he got in the truck to go home for a bit and couldn't find the strength to even lift his hands to grip the steering wheel at the thought of facing an hour drive home. So he just curled up on the bench seat and passed out until Jack was tapping on the window and saying Amy was awake and asking for him. Ty was awake then, finding the energy returned to his limbs as he climbed out and joined Amy again when she told him she wanted to go home.

Now, at home they were. Amy was walking on her own, but it was obvious every bit of movement pained her from her broken ribs. She was on decent pain meds to help keep her ability to breath and cough regular, but they usually wore off before she was allowed to safely take another dose.

The trailer was pretty much as they left it the morning they left for Calgary. Lou had dropped by a couple of days ago to get some of Amy's things to bring to the hospital during her stay and from the looks of it, took it upon herself to straighten up a bit.

Ty guided Amy to the bed and helped her down onto it. "You all right? Do you want anything?" She'd been quiet since leaving the hospital. Her silence was starting to worry him, but he wasn't going to push her to talk. Not yet, at least. Eventually, they both knew they were going to have to talk about it, but there was time enough for it.

"No, I'm okay," Amy replied with a slow shake of her head, easing herself onto the bed.

The last time Amy felt this empty was after her mother died. She just wanted to disappear and pretend it never happened. She wanted to cry until it didn't hurt anymore, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. The first and last time she'd cried was at the hospital and she just felt numb since then. Things like this happened all the time and women lost babies from less. That's what she kept trying to tell herself, but the guilt from being the cause of it just wouldn't allow her to have that peace of mind. It being an accident was something else she tried to accept, but she couldn't help but think it was somehow fate telling them that they weren't ready to have a baby. That her father was right, and there were other things she had to do with her life first. Mostly, she felt guilty because there was some small part of her that was almost… relieved. Ever since she and Ty announced to the family they were expecting, there was nothing but tension. It was most felt when Tim was around, but so easily spread through the rest of the family. Lou and Grandpa were obviously happy for them, but it seemed no one could have a conversation about the baby without it leading to the admittedly valid arguments her father brought up. The thing about that was, Amy wasn't sure if she wanted all of that exposure anymore. Since that "Miracle Girl" video, it just felt like her life experiences exploded into opportunities that sought potentially life-altering decisions. But whether they were for better or worse, had been the hardest question.

Amy both loved and hated the attention and reputation Heartland and her work was getting because it not only brought in business, but showed that people were starting to realize there were other ways to help their problems than getting rid of their horses. On the other hand, it put a lot of extra pressure on Amy to fix every horse that came to her. As great at her reputation was, it would be destroyed much easier now from all of the public awareness. Amy knew without a doubt that she didn't ever want to stop helping those horses, but she'd been thinking lately that maybe it would have been better all around if she hadn't given in to those clinics with Chase Powers or went on that Ring of Fire tour and just kept Heartland as her mother left it.

Her work aside, Amy couldn't help but think her dad was also right about them trying to raise a baby in this trailer. She leaned back against the pillows as Ty started to unpack her bag for her, looking out at the confined space that was hardly big enough for the two of them. Ty took up most of it just standing there at the table. She tried to picture where they would put a crib and how they'd have to end up changing diapers on the table. It never would have worked for long before something inevitably gave and they ended up back at Heartland with the rest of the family where even the space there was dwindling. With both the diner and Dude Ranch booming with business, Lou and Peter finally had the finances to get a place of their own, but leave it to Lou to be extremely particular about where her children grew up. All the talk of the houses she and Peter look at only reminded Amy of the ranch that got away from her and Ty.

"Amy?" Ty was talking to her, Amy suddenly aware of him watching her as her eyes refocused and looked up at him.

"Huh?"

"Did you want these in the wash or…?" She looked down at the clothes in his hands, trying to figure out why he was asking about them. He lifted the shirt to show her and her stomach almost turned over from the blood stains she saw.

"Throw them out. Throw everything out," she said, turning away and taking a slow breath.

"Okay. I'm sorry. I-" Ty should have known better. Blood was almost impossible to get out anyway. He didn't know why he asked.

"It's fine," Amy interrupted, shaking her head and glancing at him. She didn't want him to be sorry. He had nothing to be sorry about. _She_ was the one who needed to be sorry.

Turning away again, Amy waited for Ty to throw the clothes in a bag and toss it in the garbage, then take it outside to the can. Closing her eyes, she relished in the moment alone she got. For days she felt so claustrophobic and like she was suffocating. All she was able to look at were white walls in confined spaces. That was all she was looking at now, but with Ty outside for those couple of minutes, she finally felt like she was able to breathe. Amy didn't want to tell him she just wanted to be alone; afraid he would think she was pushing him away. She wasn't, not really. She didn't want to, at least. She just wanted time to… process, to come to terms with the fact that she just lost their child without him there waiting for her to break again.

Sighing, Amy started shifting down the bed to lay down, reaching over to straighten out the messed up pillows from their little wrestling game the morning before the accident. She paused when her fingers bumped against something hard, moving the pillow aside to see the baby book she'd bought not long after finding out she was pregnant. Picking it up, Amy moved it over to her lap and opened it up to the tabbed page she'd been reading that morning. She looked at the little illustrations of the developing fetus and felt her heart again start to ache as her lip began to tremble. The tears were stopped abruptly when the door opened and Ty came back, causing Amy to quickly shove the book back under the pillow before turning and swinging her legs over the bed to get up.

"Here, let me…" Ty was quick to reach out to help her, but Amy brushed his hands away.

"I'm fine, Ty. I'm not an invalid. I can get up myself." Her words were a little bitter but she made an attempt for them not to be, feeling the guilt set in when Ty took a step back.

"I'm sorry," she apologized after standing. "I'm just tired of being cooped up inside. It's too much of a nice day to waste lying in bed. Let's go somewhere, or… go for a ride or something." She needed to get out of this trailer. There were too many painful memories here right now that she didn't want to be surrounded by.

Ty did his best to bite his tongue and not comment when Amy snapped at him. They didn't need him trying to defend himself to her and have it turn into some sort of argument. She knew he just wanted to help and make things easier for her, but it didn't seem she was as willing to do the same for herself.

"I don't think riding is a good idea. The doctor said to take it easy for the next few weeks. Why don't we just… go for a walk on the trails?"

Amy had it in her to argue, but knew Ty was right. The doctor didn't say no riding, but that was because he didn't know how much horses had a real impact in her life. Otherwise, she was certain he'd have banned it. She wanted to take Spartan out and let her mind get lost on the trails. It was the best form of therapy if there ever was one, but at this point she'd take anything just to get out of this damn trailer.

**A/N - Okay, so to those who are new to this story, this is from my tumblr account and so far all I've written. So if you were excited that the updates were coming so quickly, it was because I was just copy and pasting. So, I'm sorry to say that they won't be coming as fast anymore since this is where I left off. To those who follow the story on my tumblr, everything from here on out will be new and as I stated in the story description, you will find those new chapters first on my tumblr, but I will post them here as well. =) **


	22. Chapter 22

It really was turning out to be a beautiful late spring day. The summer heat hadn't quite made its way in yet, but the cold winter air was gone for the season, taking any traces of snow with it as new grass and foliage was sprouting and bringing life and color back to the Alberta vista. The only snow to be seen was high atop the Rockies in the distance, but once Amy and Ty stepped into the wooded trails, the mountains disappeared and it was green all around them.

"Looks like that storm last week did some damage," Ty commented when they came upon an old poplar tree blocking the path. Ty made a mental note to come out later with a chain saw to move it out of the way as he stepped on the trunk and hopped over, reaching up to offer Amy assistance as she followed.

"I got it, Ty. I'm fine," she told him, ignoring his outstretched hand and stepping up onto the tree's trunk. It was higher off the ground with the secondary branches at the end holding it up, but not so high that there was real physical effort needed. Still, the step down wasn't as easy as gravity carried her body weight down onto her leg, the shock radiating into her ribs, making her grimace.

"Fine, huh?" Ty raised a brow at her but then raised his hands in surrender when she shot him a look, backing off and just continuing along the defined path between the trees.

As peaceful as the walk through the forest was with only the sounds of nature surrounding them, there was an awkwardness of words unspoken that was making Amy wish that she'd have come out there alone. Ty surely had other things to do than keep watch over her, especially now that she was home from the hospital and on the mend. She didn't need to be babysat or waited on. A few broken ribs didn't leave her helpless, just sore.

"Have you talked to Scott?" Amy asked absently when they fell into step again.

"Uh, no. Not yet." Ty replied, pushing his hands into the pockets of his jeans. He hadn't been to work at the clinic since they day before Amy's accident and had yet to call Scott about when he expected to come back. Truth was, Ty didn't know what to tell him.

"Ty, you need to go back to work. I'm perfectly fine taking care of myself. It's just a few bruises and broken ribs." Amy didn't tell him she wanted that time to have for herself, but he really did need to get back to work. It wasn't helping either of them with him just hanging around and playing nursemaid.

"He said to take all the time I needed, and it's more than broken ribs, Amy. Don't you dare pretend like it isn't." Ty's voice was low as he shot her a tentative look.

Amy's jaw clenched as the ache seized her chest again and she was silent for a long moment before looking down toward her hands that she was absently fiddling with. "I know," was her quiet reply. Of course it was more than that, but Amy wasn't ready to go there yet and was presently okay with ignoring it. "But you hanging around me all the time doesn't help and one of us needs to be making an income. Unless you're okay with me going back to work tomorrow-"

"No. Not until the doctors say it's okay."

"Then you need to call Scott and tell him you'll be in tomorrow. I bet you're not too thrilled with Cassandra taking all of your hours, either." Honestly, Amy was surprised that girl stayed this long now that she was out of school and able to go anywhere. Apparently, she was having trouble finding another, or better, position with that whole Jeremy thing still hanging over her head, but no one was at all ready to forget about it, especially with his whereabouts still unknown.

"No, but she wasn't too thrilled with being stuck with them all by herself either, so… it was kind of a lose-lose situation." If Scott didn't have to be on-call all the time, he'd have taken them, but he couldn't always be sitting in the clinic and needed to have someone there in case he had to leave. But Ty understood that Amy pushing him to get back to work wasn't just about the income. He just wasn't sure about leaving her alone either, knowing how she was and that given the opportunity she'd be back at Heartland either working with a client horse or trying to ride. Moving around as opposed to lying in bed was recommended, but it was only supposed to be light work and what Amy did wasn't light.

There was a beat of silence before Ty spoke again. "I just want to make sure you're okay before jumping back in full-time."

"Ty, I'm fine. I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself."

Stopping, Ty tried to study her when she turned to look at him. "Are you? This is the most we've talked in days. You barely said two words to me since you learned about the b-" He stopped when Amy turned to walk away from him.

"Amy, wait. Come on," he called after her, catching up in a few quick strides to stop her by reaching to grab her arm. "We can't just ignore this." He didn't want to push her into talking if she really wasn't ready. It had only been a few days, but they couldn't avoid it forever. She had to know that. He wanted to talk about it, to figure out how she was coping and if they were going to ever try again. Having children had always been something they agreed they wanted, but Ty didn't know if losing their first had changed Amy's mind or not.

Her body turned slightly in his direction when he pulled her to a stop, but her head continued looking ahead down the trail, refusing to look at him as her eyes stung from the threat of tears. "Well, I don't want to talk about it right now, okay?" Amy snapped, finally turning to throw him an irritated scowl in order to mask the anguish building in her chest.

Ty could see it. In the way her jaw tightened against the tremble and her eyes narrowed against the sting. How she turned away at the mention of the baby and then refused to look at him again right away while she got a hold of herself. She wasn't okay. She was hurting and from the look of it either didn't want him to see or thought pretending she wasn't would make it go away.

"Okay… okay. We don't have to right now, but we need to eventually. This isn't something that's just going to go away, Amy. You need to face it before you can let it go. Remember when my dad died? I was so… angry at him and feeling guilty for not being able to forgive him for doing the things that he did. But I had to, Amy. I had to forgive him before I could let him go, or else I'd still be spending my life hating and resenting a dead man, and probably my mom too." Ty spoke gently while running his hand along her arms then reaching up to tuck a loose strand of golden hair behind her ear, but Amy was shaking her head and fighting to maintain control of her emotions.

"This isn't the same, Ty. This was our…" She stumbled over the word, pressing her mouth shut when her lip started to tremble and looking away from him.

Ty swallowed. "I know." He wasn't going to make her say it. "But we're still going to need to make peace with it before we can move on. When you're ready, I'll be right here," he assured her, pulling her into his arms and resting his lips in her hair. "I'll call Scott when we get back home tonight, though, okay? Give you some time alone tomorrow. Just promise me you won't try working with that new horse." Ty knew better than to accept Amy's promise to take it easy. So as his back-up plan he was going to commission Caleb to hang around and keep an eye on her if she happened to show up at the ranch, which he had a high suspicion that she would.

Resting her chin on his shoulder, Amy sniffed and blinked to get rid of the tears that pooled in her eyes, reaching up to wipe at them before Ty would see them. "Okay. I won't, I promise." She didn't have intentions of going anywhere tomorrow where she'd run into people who were going to ask how she was coping and feeling and watching her like a hawk. She knew better. What Amy wanted was to be alone.


	23. Chapter 23

"Thank God you're back. _Never_ leave me to cover for you again. I've been here for so long I can't get the smell of antiseptic out of my hair." Ty's eyes widened as he took a cautious step back when Cassandra popped up from behind the computer.

"It's only been a few days, Cass. Relax." Really? His first day back and he was already going to be attacked about the schedule that he didn't even make.

"It's been five days, actually, and I work over the weekend so I won't have had a day off in over a week!"

Ty rolled his eyes when his back was to the girl as he checked out who their new patients were, taking a clipboard off of the cage of a Corgi to examine. "The whole reason I had to take off was because my wife was in a car accident and lost our baby. So don't pretend like you're the victim in all of this because you were stuck working a few extra hours. Grow up, Cassandra." He turned to glare at her, seeing her expression soften before flipping a page on the clipboard and turning away from her again.

"Ty, I… I'm sorry. Scott didn't tell me why, so I just assumed-"

"You just assumed I was playing hooky? That I was shooting pool and drinking beers at K.O. and thinking 'oh, well, Cassandra can just cover for me'? Seriously?" She should know him better than that after working together for over four years. Frankly, he was insulted that she thought that lowly of him.

Cassandra looked ashamed and seemed to deeply regret whatever she'd been thinking of him the last few days. "Something like that. Ty, I am sorry. I just didn't know what was going on. Is Amy okay?"

It took a pause and a deep breath for Ty's irritation to ease away, but when it did all he felt was the exhaustion. Dropping the clipboard on the exam table, Ty stared down at it, running his hands over his face. "I don't know. I don't think so, but she's trying to pretend like she is. I just think she's afraid to acknowledge it."

"Well, have you asked her? Don't take this the wrong way, but I've gotten the feeling that communication isn't the strongest part of your relationship," she said with a raise of her brow, leaning back in the computer chair and wiggling a pen between her fingers.

Communication had been a bit of an issue with them in the past, but they learned from those mistakes and Ty liked to believe they were beyond keeping secrets. This wasn't exactly the same thing as what caused them turmoil in former years and Ty realized that whatever Amy wasn't telling him it was because she either wasn't sure how to convey those feelings because she wasn't able to cope with them herself yet, or just didn't want to face them at all. Ty ignored that part of Cassandra's comment, though, as he picked up the clipboard again and hooked it back to the cage. "I don't want to force it out of her if she's not ready. She only just got out of the hospital yesterday and I think I should give her some time to… just come to terms with it on her own first. She knows we have to talk about it – that I want to - and I told her that I'll be ready whenever she is."

Cassandra looked skeptical, but just shrugged and let it go. "Okay. By the way, you're staying here today while I go out to get lunch. I can't stand to eat another soggy sandwich."

* * *

Amy lay in bed long after Ty left for the clinic. She was awake, aware of the settling creaks of the trailer and the irregular drip of the faucet, her ears tuning into the birds happily chirping outside around the feeder she erected at the end of last summer to help the birds get a jump through the winter. But her eyes were closed and she remained unmoving with her hand pushed up beneath her pillow, finger running along the edge of the book she kept hidden beneath it.

Even with those sounds all around her the trailer felt eerily quiet and still. So quiet, her thoughts were screaming at her through flashes of memories from the day of the accident. She'd replayed it over and over again all night long, not getting so much as an hour of sleep before waking up again. Amy was afraid of the nightmares. Afraid of what she would see when they came. Mostly they consisted of dark hallways and crying infants, occasionally flashes of light that would make her head throb and wake her up in tears. It had only been a few days, yet every time she closed her eyes it was like suffering through a whole night of relentless torment.

Her heart had never hurt this badly before. Not even when she and Ty were broken up or apart and his whereabouts was unknown and the possibility of him being dead was very real. She'd had hope then. Hope that she desperately clung to that he was still alive and that he'd come back to her. She had no hope now. Their baby was gone and it wasn't coming back.

It hadn't been very big. Not big enough to be noticed or felt though her belly, but it had been there and it had been theirs. They saw it on the monitor, listened to its tiny fluttering heart, and basked in the excitement of becoming parents for too brief a time. Maybe it was too soon to have a true connection with it, too soon to determine if it was a boy or a girl, and too soon to become parents, but it was _their_ baby. Ty's baby. And it was gone.

Tears squeezed from Amy's closed eyes, sliding down over the bridge of her nose and onto her pillow as they did every night. Her finger continued gliding along the pages until she opened her eyes to the day and started to push herself up while wiping her face. She pulled the baby book from beneath the pillow and stared down at it in her lap, tracing the letters of the title then opening it again to the tabbed page. She never looked further than that, not wanting to see what she would be missing as her pregnancy progressed with a child that no longer existed.

It hurt to think that seven months from now they would have had a baby. They'd have learned if it would be a son or daughter, picked a name, welcomed the child to the Bartlett-Fleming-Morris-Borden family by christening a stone of the Heartland fireplace, and began their new lives as parents. Now that seven months would be swallowed by time and the only reminder they would have of that lost child would be a crumbled computer print-out.

Closing the book, Amy's gaze lifted toward her bag that still sat on the table from the day before. Getting up, she went to dig through it for the photo, finding it slipped neatly into a side pocket. She pulled it out and slid into the recliner beside the table, staring at the grainy misshapen image and wondering if Ty still had his folded up in his wallet as it had been the day it was taken. He'd been so excited, so eager for that appointment to see his child for the first time. Amy hated that she'd bestowed any doubt in him beforehand that she didn't want their child just because she cared a little bit too much about what her family thought. The relief she felt was swallowed by the guilt for realizing she felt it. She wasn't relieved. She was heartbroken and devastated. Amy wasn't new to experiencing the lesson behind the saying that you never truly appreciated something until it was gone and it was exactly what she was feeling now as the air seized in her lungs before a sob escaped through her lips.

Turning the photo over, Amy placed it face down on the table and took a long, slow breath, cleared her throat then forced herself to get up. She didn't know what she was thinking would happen if she stayed alone in the trailer all day. That she would reach some sort of calming peace with what happened or find strength in her loss to move on? No, what it felt like was going to happen was she would be sitting there in an empty trailer trying not to bawl her eyes out as she berated herself for being so stupid for not paying attention to where she was walking, and tormenting herself with the what ifs and what could have beens while staring at the photo of a child that would never grow up.

Pulling herself together, Amy pushed her mind to focus on something else while she got dressed around the ache in her ribcage. After brushing her teeth she grabbed the pain medication the doctor prescribed her and swallowed the recommended dosage, pushing the bottle into the pocket of her jeans before heading out the door to Heartland.


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N - I have a fairly good layout of the rest of this story, but it's hard to say how many more chapters there will be, so I can't answer that with a definite number. However, there will be plenty more to come and, yes, the melancholy feel will eventually be lifted and the ending a happy one - for those that might have been concerned with the depressing rut it fell into.**

"What are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to take it easy," Caleb asked when Amy pulled up in front of the barn and climbed out of the truck.

It figured someone would be around the ranch. Amy didn't expect the place to be deserted, especially when she was supposed to be out of commission for a while and the slack needed to be picked up. But hopefully that someone knew better than to open his mouth and start asking her how she was feeling and coping and other things she didn't want to discuss. She was here to get some work done, not talk about her feelings.

"I can't be in that tiny little trailer anymore. I'll lose my mind sitting in there. I needed to get out and do something productive. How is that new mare settling in?" Amy quickly redirected as she wandered over to the paddock off to the side of the round pen where Caleb had turned Chloe out, the mare that arrived the morning of Amy's accident.

Ty had warned Caleb that Amy might show up and to be vigilant and stick around the farm if she did to ensure she didn't do anything stupid that would get her hurt. Glancing toward Chloe, Caleb then realized he probably should have turned the mare out in one of the back fields where it wouldn't have been worth Amy's time to try and catch her, but considering she was a new client, it was safer to leave her on her own for now.

"Seems to be pretty mellow. She didn't eat all of her breakfast this morning, but that's not unusual when a horse is in an unfamiliar place." He followed after Amy as she offered her hand for the mare to sniff, jumping when she pinned her ears and bared her teeth in attempt to bite, resulting in Amy instinctively smacking her across the mouth. The mare leaped back in fright, Amy taking a startled step back herself when she realized what she just did while Caleb gaped at her in astonishment.

"I… I'm sorry… I don't know why I did that." She stared at the mare that was watching her warily from the far side of the paddock.

"Not gonna say that's not how most people handle that sort of thing, but I've never seen you hit an animal, even when they deserve it." That definitely wasn't an Amy thing to do and now Caleb really understood why he was going to need to find a reason to hang around the ranch if Amy was going to be there.

"That's because they don't ever deserve it." She frowned at Caleb, but was more disgusted with herself for reacting like she had.

Amy returned her attention back to Chloe, reaching up to take her halter from the post it was hanging on as she opened the gate. "Hey girl." She spoke soothingly to her, standing just inside the gate for the mare to get used to her being in her space.

Caleb stood on the outside, holding the gate closed but not latched in case he needed to open it for Amy to make a quick getaway, watching her uncertainly. "Amy, I don't think you should be in there with her right now." If she managed to get hurt on his watch, Ty would kill him and Caleb rather liked himself.

"It's fine, Caleb," Amy told him over her shoulder, keeping her attention on the mare.

"You're a pretty little thing, aren't you? I'm sorry a struck you. I didn't mean it." She inched closer one slow step at a time, watching the horse's ears swivel back and forth and her tail flick.

"Good girl." Amy continued her approach, able to make it within arm's length. Caleb held his breath as she reached out to offer her hand for Chloe to sniff, the mare's nostrils flaring as she watched Amy, who was then realizing she should have brought a few peppermints with her. They were often and effective bribe. Typically, she had them stuffed in her pockets, but it slipped her mind until then.

"Easy… good girl." Amy's movements were still very slow and deliberate as she started to raise her arms to slip on the halter. The mare threw her head away from Amy, backing from her again until she bumped into the metal panel of the pen, which startled her into lunging forward.

"Amy!" Caleb rushed into the pen as Amy stumbled back, tripping over her own feet in the process and landing hard on her butt, gritting her teeth as her ribs smarted on impact.

"I'm fine," she told him when he'd shooed the horse away from her, taking slow breaths against the ache in her side. Getting her feet back under her, she got up again, brushing dust from her backside and looking up at Caleb who stood between her and Chloe.

"You shouldn't be doing this, Amy. If Ty knew-"

"Well he doesn't need to know, does he? Just catch her and bring her into the round pen, okay?" Amy shoved the halter in his hands as she left the paddock with her hand applying pressure to her sore ribcage. The painkillers were supposed to have kicked in by then, or soon, hopefully, but just in case Amy reached into her pocket to take out the bottle and swallow two more.

Amy moved toward the barn as Caleb started walking toward the pen with the horse in tow. It was obvious Chloe didn't want to follow, but with a few tugs and clicks of the tongue she begrudgingly let him lead her into it. Amy stepped in after them when Caleb had Chloe to the center of the ring, shutting the gate and watching as he made an attempt to unclip the lead.

"Are you sure about this?" Caleb stopped when he saw the look of contempt on Amy's face, conceding. "Okay, but I'm staying here." It was a hard decision to make between whose shit list he wanted to be on – Ty's or Amy's. Neither one of them would be good, but at the moment he figured Ty's would be easier to reason his way off of when he brought up Amy's stubbornness and apparent lack of self-preservation.

"Fine. Sit on the fence and don't move," she instructed, taking the lead from him to use to drive the mare to the perimeter. Caleb obliged, climbing up the six feet of fence to perch himself on top of it where he had a nice view of both girl and horse.

"Get up," Amy called to Chloe, tossing the end of the lead at her to get her to move forward. The mare broke into a fast extended trot, snorting, with her tail flying high. Even though her trot was fast and Amy had to jog every few paces to keep up, it was easy enough to keep up with the horse and continue to drive her on.

And on.

And on.

Amy lost track of how long she was chasing Chloe around, first one way then the other, then back the other, but she was growing tired as could be seen by her open-mouth breathing and slow reaction time when the mare would try to turn out toward the fence or find a corner where there were none. The only positive thing about it was that the pain killers had kicked in, numbing the soreness of her ribcage.

Caleb's butt went numb long ago and he shifted every which way on the rail to get some feeling back again, growing bored and dizzy with watching Amy chase this horse relentlessly. Join-up was definitely a sight to see when it happened, but until that magic moment it was really dull and uneventful unless the horse was psychotic or something, which Chloe wasn't. Still, Caleb kept his word to Ty and kept his eye on Amy even though he probably had something else he needed to be doing. If Jack caught him hanging out like he was, he'd surely get a tongue-lashing, but the older man was out running cattle with Tim and wasn't due to be back until, Caleb glanced down at his phone, soon. Morning was over and it was afternoon, moving onto one o'clock, which meant Amy had been at it with the mare for close to two hours.

"Hey, why not give that horse a break and come to Maggie's for lunch? I'm starving," Caleb suggested, lifting himself from the rail and getting ready to climb down to help Amy get Chloe back into her pen.

"You go. I'm not hungry," Amy told him between lungfuls of air. She knew she needed to eat something, having skipped breakfast, but she didn't feel hungry. Instead, she was getting flustered that Chloe refused to show signs of wanting to join up. Her ear was turned toward Amy, but that was all she offered. Each time Amy took the pressure off, she'd turn away and try to do her own thing rather than stop and look in toward her.

"Amy, come on. You're not going to get anywhere with that horse today. Let it go and try again tomorrow." _Or in a few weeks_, but he left that part of the thought in his head.

Slowing to a stop, Amy sighed and watched Chloe come to a halt as well, nostrils flared and barrel heaving as she too took large breaths from being forced to run in countless circles for hours. Still when Amy moved toward her, the mare again took off.

"Fine," she mumbled through gritted teeth, storming over to one of the gates that led into another enclosure and shoving it open to chase the mare through. That would be easier for next time so she wouldn't have to rely on Caleb, or someone else, to handle Chloe if she still couldn't get near her.

"I don't understand what her deal is. Usually it's men that they tend to shy from because they are bigger and more aggressive, but she was perfectly okay with you." The frustration was evident in her voice as she left the round pen to join Caleb on the other side. She still didn't want to go out to Maggie's, but he was right in saying she wasn't going to get anywhere with that horse and she was tired of running in circles and not getting results. Amy knew that it could take time, but it was discouraging when there wasn't even a hint of the horse wanting to give in.

"Then maybe it was a woman that messed her up some. I know some pretty rough 'n' tumble ladies around the rodeo circuit, and I'm not talking about hoity barrel racers. They're like female jockeys, rare but tough as nails and don't take no crap from nobody, especially patronizing cowboys."

"You mean like you?" Amy smirked, remembering a time several years ago when Caleb insisted she, being a girl, wouldn't be able to break Ghost, the appaloosa Mustang that still roamed the mountains somewhere with his established herd. He hadn't been wrong, but Amy had been stubborn enough to try her damndest to prove herself.

"I wouldn't say that after I tried training a female bronc rider, remember? She wasn't half bad either. She had the skill to make those guys eat their feet for breakfast and the attitude to serve them up right, just not the drive. Shame, really." He shrugged, disappointed it hadn't worked out with Kelly and getting her on the circuit, but at least they had a damn good time trying.

"Yeah, okay, but the owner is a woman and didn't say anything about rough handling or abuse in her past." Amy looked toward Chloe in thought.

"Have you ever had a client that was one hundred percent up front and honest with you?" Caleb asked reasonably. Sometimes it was small things, things they thought were insignificant and not worth mentioning but made all the difference in Amy's job to help their horse. Other times it was deliberate because they didn't want to let on how it was their own fault the horse was acting out.

It wouldn't at all be the first time the truth was withheld and in the rush that Amy was in to get the mare settled so she and Ty could be on their way to Calgary it was possible she might not have asked all of the necessary questions, or caught on to something that would have been of help to her now. "I'll be in the office."

"Wait, you're not coming to Maggie's?"

"Tell Nicole I said hello," Amy called from inside the barn, leaving Caleb stare after her and debate on feeding his empty and grumbling stomach or continue to keep his word to Ty. He couldn't sit around all day, though, and if Amy was going to be making phone calls then he should be okay to leave for like an hour or so.

"I'll bring you back something!" he called after her, thinking that maybe getting her to eat would earn him some bonus points in case Ty learned that Amy had been in that pen with a horse instead of resting.


	25. Chapter 25

Amy slid into the creaky old chair behind the worn wooden desk that she used to find her mother sitting at for hours in the evening updating her client log and adding notes to the journals Amy now used to carry on the work Marion began that gave Heartland its legacy. So many times Amy sat there and tried to see through her mother's eyes when she was doubting herself and her abilities to cure a horse or even deal with her own life problems. She'd barely been fifteen when her mother died which left so little time for her to receive those life lessons and advice only a mother could give. Amy couldn't count the times she desperately wished Marion were still alive to guide her in the right direction or give her answers she eventually found after taking the long way around. She couldn't help but think so many of the mistakes or poor choices she made and now deeply regretted could have been avoided if only she'd been able to turn to and confide in her mother. Of course she had Lou and her grandfather, but even Lou admitted that there were some things only a mother knew.

Staring at the cover of her own client log, Amy was once again wishing her mother were there now. Maybe she wouldn't have opened up to her either if she wouldn't even do it with her husband, but she was still feeling Marion's absence a lot more now than she had in a while. She didn't understand why she reacted the way she had to Chloe when before Amy had all the patience in the world when it came to helping a horse.

Sighing, Amy open the journal to the very bare page she reserved for Chloe's progress, having only the client's contact number and what the horse was being treated for written down at the top. Reaching for the phone, Amy called the mare's owner, Sutton Daniels, hoping to maybe come up with some missing information to help her better figure out how to work with the horse.

Unfortunately after a short conversation, Amy wasn't any further than she'd been before. In fact, she might have taken a small step backward when Ms. Daniels became concerned that Amy wouldn't be able to help her horse. The woman knew about the accident that happened the day Chloe arrived, but didn't seem to realize that Amy hadn't had the opportunity to even begin working with Chloe until today. She wasn't really supposed to be, but losing a client wasn't something they could afford, especially now.

Dropping her head in her hands, Amy stared down at her journal trying to make sense of Chloe and her own actions today, but her mind began to drift elsewhere. To the morning the horse arrived when she and Ty had been on their way to Calgary for the ultrasound.

Slowly, Amy's mind grew fuzzy as her eyes fell shut and her head began to weigh on her arms, slipping between them and nearly hitting the desk until she jumped awake. Rubbing her face, the fatigue pressed down on her. Her body felt like dead weight in the chair. She wanted to go up to the house, or even the loft, to take a nap, but couldn't get herself to wake up enough to move. Instead, she curled her arms on the desk to use as a pillow, dropping her head on them and again shutting her eyes, for once welcoming the darkness.

"Amy." Jack nudged her arm a while later, surprised to find her passed out on the desk, but not so surprised she ended up showing up at the ranch that day. Like everyone else, he knew she wouldn't be able to stay home and rest for long.

Amy jolted awake, lifting her head and blinking a few times to clear her sleepy vision to see Jack standing in the office. "Shouldn't you be home?" Jack asked, reaching for the phone that Amy had been laying on.

"I can't sit at home. At least here I feel a little more useful," she replied groggily, rubbing her eyes and still trying to get her vision to clear. Maybe taking more of those painkillers had been a bad idea. Her eyes were still heavy and her head hazy, but she forced herself to sit up and look at her grandfather.

"Does Ty know you're here?" Jack asked.

Amy shrugged. "Probably. If he knows me at all. I'd bet that's why Caleb was lurking around."

"Caleb was here? All day?" Amy nodded in response. "He was supposed to be out checking those fences. We had cows wandering along the side of the road. Where is he?"

"He went to Maggie's for lunch. He should be back any minute." Amy stood from the chair, blinking hard as the office started to spin. She reached out to steady herself on the desk, rubbing her temple with one hand.

"You okay?" Jack placed a steadying hand on her shoulder, a look of concern erasing the one of annoyance.

Amy nodded. "I'm fine. Just got up too fast." She looked up when the room slowed to a stop, training her eyes on the first thing that remained stationary. Her head spinning made her feel nauseous.

"Maybe you should go up to the house and rest. Lou has some leftover pot roast in the fridge if you're hungry."

At the mention of food Amy took a deep breath, but nodded anyway. "Yeah. I am pretty tired. That medication the doctors gave me is pretty strong stuff."

Jack reached out to stop his granddaughter when she moved to walk around him, studying her carefully. "You be careful with that stuff, okay? Remember what happened with your dad and Caleb." Jack warned, his serious gaze unrelenting.

"Grandpa. It's not like that. Besides, I only need to take it for the next couple of weeks. It's just more than I'm used to. I'm fine. I promise." Standing on her toes, Amy left a gentle peck on his cheek.

"Uh, hang on a sec. Have you talked to Ty yet about the… you know."

Amy paused on her way out the door, turning around slowly with her eyes lowered to the floor. After a moment's hesitation she met his gaze. "Not yet. He wants to, but I'm… I'm not sure that I'm ready yet. I've talked to him about that much, at least. He understands that it'll come up when I'm ready to… to face it." She swallowed, her eyes falling away from her grandfather as she once again started to fight the burning threat of tears.

Jack studied his granddaughter, nodding after a moment. "Okay," he started softly. "Because you know the rest of us are worried about you. We just want to make sure you're going to get through this okay. What you went through… well, it's not something that you just bounce back from."

"I know, Grandpa. We'll get through it. Promise." Giving him a soft reassuring smile, Amy was quick to leave the barn and head toward the house, but upon seeing Lou and Peter's SUV in the driveway, turned back around and climbed into her truck. Going inside would mean another heavy discussion that she wasn't sure she wanted to face. Reversing the truck from in front of the barn, Amy spun it around to head back down the driveway, tapping the brake when she was facing the ranch house. Gripping the steering wheel tightly, Amy stared at it hard, a lump lodging itself in her throat. She didn't want to go back to the trailer – that was the whole reason she came back to Heartland. After taking a few slow, deep breaths, Amy maneuvered the truck over to park in front of the house.


	26. Chapter 26

"Amy!" Georgie jumped from the kitchen chair when her aunt entered the house, kicking off her boots, her smile wide as she hugged her, Amy returning the gesture and pushing a soft smile to her face.

"Shh, Georgie." Lou frowned at her daughter, turning away from the counter where she was preparing stew to simmer in the slow cooker for dinner.

"Sorry. Katie's taking a nap," Georgie explained when Amy looked confused for a moment. The young teen removed her arms from Amy and slipped back into her chair where she was working on homework.

"Oh, well that's where I was just headed. Maybe I'll go lay with her." The thought of napping with her young niece made Amy's previously forced smile more genuine. Before Amy could fully leave the kitchen, however, Lou was stopping her.

"Amy, wait. What are you doing here? Shou-"

"I don't want to be home, Lou," Amy interrupted, feeling déjà vu wash over her. How many times was she going to have to explain this to people?

"But, Ty-"

"Ty is at work. He won't be home for another few hours." It was hard to keep the frustration out of her voice. "Lou, please. I just came in lie down for a while."

"You can lie down at home. Where you should be." Lou countered, leaning against the counter and wiping her hands on a paper towel. She was glad to see her little sister again, but Amy being at Heartland wasn't just because she was dropping by for a visit. They all knew better than that.

"Why? So I can sit and suffocate in that box. No thanks." Amy snapped, almost angrily, finally turning and going down the hall to Katie's room. She'd calmed down by the time she was pushing the door open to the dimly lit room. The curtains were drawn on all of the windows, but it was still light enough to see the toddler curled up in her bed, the stuffed horse she'd had since she was born falling out of her arm that hung over the edge. The simper once again softened Amy's face as she let herself into the room and went over to the bed, kneeling down beside it to carefully pick up the stuffed animal and get it more secured in the girl's arm. That made her stir, her brown eyes opening to look at Amy. "Hey, sweetie. How are you?"

"Sleepy," the girl answered, her voice conveying as much. She rubbed her eyes with her tiny fist and yawned.

"Me too. Do you mind if Auntie Amy takes a nap with you?" When Katie slowly shook her head, Amy stood and carefully crawled over the child to the other side of the bed that was flush with the wall. It was a small twin bed, not much room for two people to lay on, but it was good enough for Amy who rested her back against the wall as she lay on her side, watching her little niece shift and start to fall back asleep.

Amy was tired, but sleep again eluded her. Instead, her eyes focused on little Katie back to sleeping soundly now, so content in her little world. Amy wished she could go back to those days. When her biggest concern was when she could go back outside and see the horses and when her mother would get finished working so she'd take her for a ride. She missed that, being carefree and looking at the world with such hope and amazement. As an adult it was harder to look at things that way when you knew the truth and what sort of darkness lived in the world. Amy lost all hope and wonder when she stepped outside now – when she stepped onto this ranch. Heartland had always been a place of hope and miracles. Maybe it still was, but being stuck in such a dark place made it difficult for Amy to believe in any of that anymore. She saw the world in such a negative light now, looking at Katie only made Amy sad for the day the child grew up and learned that nightmares weren't always just dreams.

* * *

"Is Amy okay?" Georgie asked, looking toward her mother who was staring down the hall where Amy disappeared a minute ago. Lou wanted to go down the hall and try to talk to her sister, but maybe leaving her to rest with Katie was the better option for the time being.

"I'm not sure, honey." Lou sighed, going back to preparing dinner. From the sound of it, Amy was far from okay and Lou would venture a guess that she still had yet to talk things through with Ty, too. All of that pent up hurt and anger was simmering there inside of her sister, Lou could sense it.

"Do you think she and Ty will have another baby?" The girl's voice was hopeful. She really wanted to have a little cousin and had been looking forward to taking over the role of family babysitter now that Mallory was gone. It was how she planned on making money over the summers.

"I'm sure they will. It's just going to take some time for them to heal from losing this one." She hoped, anyway. Lou just couldn't see Amy and Ty making that decision right now. They'd been through a serious tragedy and it was understandable that the thought of trying again just seemed like too much to bear at the moment. If they were asked, Lou was almost certain Amy's answer wouldn't be in favor of it, not after going through what she just had, but Lou was among the first to know how deeply Ty and Amy wanted children. That desire wasn't only skin deep and she knew her sister. It was just going to take time.

"I hope so. Doesn't seem fair to just give up like that." Georgie said, picking up her pencil and going back to her homework.

"I hope so, too."

* * *

"_Ride around. Ride around real slow. Well the fiery and the snuffy are raring to go. Well when I die, take my saddle from the wall, put it on my pony and lead him from his stall. Tie my bones to his back, turn our faces to the west and we'll ride the prairie that we like the best_." Amy sang the old cowboy song to the sleeping Katie, reaching out to stroke her fingers through the girl's light brown hair as tears silently rolled down her face. This is what she wanted to be. She wanted to be a mom that crawled into bed with her child and sang them to sleep, read them stories and eased their fears of monsters in the closet or beneath the bed. For a long time Amy had shied from such responsibilities, but finding out she was pregnant made her realize how terribly she did want it. The excitement she felt for those few weeks had been nothing like anything she felt before. Even the negativity her father held toward her pregnancy couldn't completely trounce her and Ty's happiness. That happiness was gone now, though. Amy couldn't seem to feel anything anymore except emptiness and a heavy heart.

Finishing the last couple lines of the song, Amy's hand fell away from Katie to wipe the tears from her eyes. She finally snuggled up beside her niece and let her eyes close, sleep pulling her in after a few minutes.

_Ty slipped his hand behind Amy's waist as she leaned against the back wall. "It looks like me already, what do you think?"_

_Amy studied the picture carefully before pulling it away from Ty's hand to step back and hold it up next to his head. "Well… he's definitely a lot cuter than you are," she laughed softly._

_"Hey now, he's got half of my genes in him remember," Ty joked with Amy as they exited the elevator to head back to the truck._

_"Yeah, but the cuter half comes from me," Amy shot over the truck as she climbed in beside Ty. "Isn't it amazing that this is our baby? I mean, it's really happening. This is the start of our family."_

_"I'll be right back." Ty mouthed to Amy._

_" Lou?" There was a crackling as Amy stopped to wait for Ty, hearing Lou's voice come in and out but even when it was in it wasn't understandable over the static. "Lou I can't hear you…hello?"_

_"Hell-? Am- Are- there?"_

_"Amy!"_

"Ty?!" Amy jerked awake, sitting bolt upright and blinking hard against the bright light and dull throbbing in her head.

"It's Lou." Lou said, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Amy looked around in confusion for a moment, trying to get her bearings. This was Katie's room. Her hand ran over the empty space beside her. "Where's Katie?" Her voice sounded scared, like she somehow thought something had happened to the little girl.

"She's out in the kitchen with Georgie." Lou answered quickly, studying her sister with concern and reaching out to place her hand over Amy's on the bed. "She said you woke her up. That you were making weird noises. Are you alright?"

Amy took slow breaths and shifted on the bed to sit up and lean against the wall. She felt more tired now than she did when she laid down. Rubbing her head, Amy shut her eyes against the painful throbbing. "I'm sorry. Is she okay?" Amy felt bad for disturbing the sweet little girl. She should have known those dreams would come back to continue haunting her like they did at night.

Lou studied her sister for a moment before answering. "She's fine. She felt bad you were having bad dreams so she wanted you to have Pogie." She smiled softly, handing Katie's stuffed pony, which was renamed after her real one, to Amy who opened her eyes and took it into her lap with a faint smile of her own.

"That's sweet of her." It would be nice if bad dreams could be scared away by such innocence.

"You didn't answer me, though. Are you okay?"

Again Amy didn't answer her sister right away, pointing her attention down to the toy in her lap, smoothing the horse's fuzzy mane down one side of its neck to make it appear more realistic. "I'm okay, Lou. I've just been having trouble sleeping lately. Every time I close my eyes I see…" Amy stopped abruptly, clamping her jaw shut when her head began to pound from a new threat of tears. The room was quiet for several long moments, Lou waiting for Amy to pull herself together.

This was what Amy wanted to avoid, but she had to admit that it felt better to be here in the company of family than it did all alone in the trailer. She'd always gone to Lou in the past for advice, mostly with relationships, but her sister never failed to listen and offer any guidance she could. "I'm afraid to sleep at night. It all comes back and Ty he… he wants me to just open up and talk about it. But how can I talk about it when I can't even _think_ about it. Any time I try, I get scared and divert my attention to something else." Amy voice was so strained it hurt her throat to talk. She couldn't even say, or hear, the word 'baby' without shutting her ears and getting upset.

"Amy, talking about it is exactly what you need to do. And you need to do it with Ty. I know it's hard and it's going to be even harder to voice all of your heartache, but you'll never find the strength to move on if you just keep it all locked up inside of you. Ty was there too. He never left your side and was the first to hear about the baby."

"Lou…" The word sent an ache shooting through Amy's chest.

"You need to hear it, Amy. You need to find the courage to face it. Think about Ty in all of this. You weren't the only one who lost a child."

"I am! I am thinking about Ty. That's what makes this so hard." Tears sprang to Amy's eyes before she could fight them away. "It was my fault, Lou. I lost our baby, _his _baby. I can hardly look at him anymore without feeling so guilty for being so careless."

Lou's face fell seeing her sister start to break down. It was coming. There was no way she'd be able to hold out forever, but even now it was obvious that Amy was trying to hold what was left behind those tears back still, fighting it and only making herself suffer further. "Is that why you've been avoiding talking to him? Are you afraid he's going to blame you? That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard, Amy." Lou shook her head, dumbfounded to even think of Amy thinking something like that.

"You don't understand, Lou. That night we told everyone at dinner. Afterward Ty and I had an argument and he thought that I was reconsidering. That I might have been thinking about aborting it." Amy felt so guilty for leading Ty to think that she wouldn't want their child and was so afraid that maybe he thought she'd be glad that accident happened because now it was out of the picture and no longer an issue that created tension among their family.

"Were you?"

"No! No! I would _never_ do that." Amy exclaimed, wiping at the tears that began to make her face itch. "It was just Dad saying all of that stuff it just-"

"Dad? You really bought into what he said about having more to do with your life and wasting your potential?" Lou was appalled and now irritated with her father for creating such chaos because he didn't know when to keep his damn mouth shut.

"No. I… well, maybe. I skipped out on college to continue working with problem horses and expanding my clinics and seeing what else was out there for me. It just got me to thinking that having a b- a baby would keep me from continuing down that path and I didn't realize until I heard that little fluttering heart that I was ready for that change. And now it's gone, Lou. It's all gone and I can't…" Sobs shook her again. "I can't breathe it hurts so much."

Lou reached out to pull Amy into her arms, bringing her head down to rest against her as she placed a gentle hand in her sister's blonde hair. "It's not gone. Not completely. You still have Ty and I know for a fact he doesn't blame you for anything that happened. But you need to talk to him, Amy. You can't just keep putting it off and hoping it'll get better on its own. You two need to decide what the next step is for you."

Amy knew Lou was right. She'd known it from the very beginning that Ty was the person she needed to talk to, but she just couldn't bring herself to face up to him. To look in his eyes and see that sadness at losing his child. The child _she'd_ been carrying and was responsible for taking care of. For keeping safe. She hadn't been able to do that and was afraid that if they had any more children in the future that she wouldn't be able to keep them safe either.


	27. Chapter 27

Tapping a pen against the desk, Ty sat in front of the computer screen staring at the clock in the bottom corner. He still had another hour to go before he was off, but the clinic was slow today and the time just dragged. He wanted to get home to Amy - to see how she made it through the day. If maybe she was ready to talk. Mostly he just wanted to be with her. There was a distance between them lately that he didn't like. He was afraid it would only grow wider the longer they went without talking about what happened. Eventually it would just become easier to ignore it, but ignoring it would leave it to hang there between them and a big part of their future unclear.

Ty had texted Amy a few times throughout the day asking how she was doing, but if she answered them at all her responses were pretty generic and vague, leading him to believe that she was still holding up inside of herself. His gaze drifted to his phone again, contemplating on sending another message when Cassandra, who'd been stealing looks at him for the last hour, rolled her eyes and finally stood up. "Go," she said grabbing his phone off the desk.

Surprised, Ty looked up at her. "What?"

Cass handed him his phone. "I said go. I'll cover for you when Scott comes back. Your brooding is just depressing and I can't stand it anymore." Usually they could carry conversation when things were this quiet at the clinic, but today Ty was just so out of it that if it weren't for the sounds of a howling dog that was waking from anesthesia the silence would just be deafening.

"It's fine, Cass. It's just another hour." As much as he wanted to go home, he could wait. It really wasn't that much longer.

"Another hour that you're just going to spend watching tick by. Go home where you actually want to be." Grabbing the back of the chair, Cass rolled it away from the computer and gave it a shove, jerking it to a halt. Ty stood up quickly before he fell.

"Okay, okay. I'm going." Ty gathered his things from the back then paused in front of the computer where Cassandra had taken over for him. "Thanks, Cass." They had their up and down moments over the years, but Cass was still a decent person and could have her moments of compassion that could override her selfishness for a while.

On his way home, Ty made a stop at Maggie's to grab dinner for himself and Amy. The medication she was on took away her appetite, but she still needed to eat whether she felt hungry or not, so Ty ordered them a few turkey sandwiches and fries, sitting down at the counter while he waited. It was around dinner time, the diner bustling with patrons, some Ty knew and nodded in acknowledgement when they said hello as they passed by. A few had heard about Amy's accident and asked how she was doing, but it was an elderly man sitting a the other end of the counter that caught Ty's attention. He did a double take before he was sliding off the stool and walking around to the man. "Hey, aren't you the guy from the parking garage?"

The old man looked at Ty a little startled, realization registering in his face that fell into a look of guilt. "I thought I recognized you," his voice was soft as he set his fork down to look at Ty. "I've been trying to get in contact with you since the accident, but I didn't know your name and the hospital wouldn't release it to me. How is that young lady?"

"She's alive if that's what you want to know." There was a bitter resentment in Ty's voice that he hadn't intended to be there, but the look on the man's face kept Ty from hauling off and punching him in the face for what he did. He looked downright saddened and remorseful.

"Good. That's… good." He nodded, his eyes drifting away from Ty's as he ran his napkin over his lips.

"Why have you been trying to contact us?" Ty demanded, thinking they wouldn't have ever heard from him again.

The old man took a moment to set his napkin back down before answering. "I couldn't stop thinking about what happened. I wanted to know that she was okay and to apologize, even though I'm sure that's just empty words to you now. But, I am truly sorry for what happened and I wanted to offer to pay all of the medical expenses."

Ty was dumbstruck for a moment while he tried to register what this man just said. Pay Amy's medical bills. That hadn't been something that occurred to him they would have to eventually deal with until that moment. He'd been so worried about his wife's health - both mental and physical - that the bills that accrued seemed insignificant by comparison. "Why would you do that?" None of them knew who it was that had hit Amy and he could have very well remained an anonymous antagonist in all of this if he'd have just kept on with his life, but he was here in Hudson, admitting to his guilt and looking to do some right by them.

"I figure once you found out the reason I was in that parking garage then you'd be sending lawyers to my door to serve me with some papers."

Beyond the moment of the accident, Ty hadn't really cared that much about the person who caused it. He had other things to worry about, but now he was curious, and even a little bit confused. "What do you mean?"

"I was at the clinic for treatment for cataracts. I wasn't supposed to be driving. When I told you I didn't see her… I really didn't. Not until it was already too late." His voice was strained, Ty able to hear the pain in it for what he'd done.

Ty didn't know how he was supposed to react to this situation. He hadn't expected to ever hear from this man again and now all of the sudden everything about that day was being broken open. He hadn't even considered getting lawyers involved and aside from that, probably wouldn't have. They were costly and who knew if they'd have even been able to win that case if it turned out to have just been a freak accident. It was, but Ty was now learning about this whole new variable that hadn't been known to them before. If it was anyone's fault, it was certainly this man's for being careless and reckless by driving a car when he knew he shouldn't have been and couldn't even properly see. Yet, he still got behind the wheel and became a danger to anyone that crossed his path. Unfortunately, it had been Amy that became the victim to teach him a lesson. "I don't…" Ty started with a shake of his head, but then trailed off when the man spoke up again.

"I know it can't make up for what happened, but the least I can do is make her recovery a little easier without the stress of paying the bills. I know how burdensome that can be. It was my fault and I really just need to know I did something to help."

Ty really debated on accepting this offer. Those bills weren't going to be cheap and letting the man who created them pay for it seemed fair in his mind. However, it seemed more like he was offering for his own benefit and Ty really didn't think he deserved that peace of mind.

"Please let me do this," he pressed when Ty still didn't respond.

"Here you go, Ty." The waitress returned with Ty's order, which he accepted before turning to the elderly man again.

"My wife may have survived that accident, but our child she was carrying didn't. I understand you need to ease your guilty conscience, or whatever, but no amount of money is going to bring back what we lost and it's not going to make anything easier. So, no, I won't let you buy our forgiveness." Ty said finally with a firm shake of his head, leaving the money on the counter for the sandwiches and left the old man sitting there looking torn.


	28. Chapter 28

It was late afternoon by the time Amy finally left the ranch house to head home. Ty would still be at work for another hour or so, which would leave her enough time to get back and see about starting something for dinner ,though options were pretty limited with their minimal kitchen appliances. But she didn't want Ty to think she'd been at Heartland all day after promising she wouldn't go. After running into Caleb, whom Amy knew better than to think wouldn't rat her out, she figured the most she'd be able to do was assure him that she'd taken it easy and his "spy" had done his job well.

Caleb was since back from Maggie's and didn't look very pleased as Amy came upon him tightening the cinch of Shorty's saddle. "I take it Grandpa found you," she guessed. Jack was notorious for punishing the help by giving them more work and responsibilities around the ranch. Technically, Caleb was under Lou's command now that he was her trail boss for the dude ranch, but he would never be able to get out from under Jack's scrutiny while living on the property.

"No good deed can go unpunished, I guess. You can tell your husband he can do his own dirty work from now on, unless he wants to pay me what I just lost in working overtime for free." Caleb swung into the saddle and gathered his reins.

"So it was Ty who made you hang around to see if I showed up." Amy wasn't naive to think otherwise. It irritated her to an extent that she wasn't trusted, but she could appreciate Ty's concern and the way he knew her so well.

Caleb shrugged. "Don't be mad at him, Amy, he just wanted to make sure you were safe."

Smiling softly, Amy nodded. "He knows me too well to let me get away with anything."

"That he does," Caleb agreed, throwing a glance toward the pens where a few horses were wandering about, including Chloe. "You're uh… not going to do anything stupid and try working with that horse again, are you?" Caleb wasn't as good at Ty with reading Amy's little tells, but she wasn't a very good liar in general and he'd once again go against Jack's orders to keep an eye on Amy if she was thinking about having another go with that client horse.

"No. Ty's going to be home soon so I'm just going to grab a few things from the office and go home."

"All right. Take care." Touching the brim of his hat in a respectful cowboy farewell, Caleb urged Shorty on and headed up the driveway, leaving Amy to continue on her way to the barn office to pick up a few of her mom's journals to take home and peruse.

On her way back to her truck she paused beside the corral adjacent to the round pen where she'd released Chloe earlier. The mare was looking in her direction, which made Amy move closer to the fence. "Hey, girl. Are you still afraid of me?" Striking the horse as she had earlier definitely already brought them a few steps back from moving forward with Chloe's treatment. The mare was supposed to want to trust Amy and instead she was just given a reason to keep away even before Amy even had a chance to establish a positive relationship. Maybe it was a good thing it happened before then as not to destroy any work Amy would have put into the horse, but it still wasn't a good way to start things off.

Folding the journals she held against her chest with one arm, Amy extended the other toward the horse through the fence in attempt to scratch her neck. With a snort, the mare shied away from Amy, retreating to the other side of the pen. "I guess so." Sighing, Amy took her hand back to rest on the metal rail, looking in after the horse for a long moment. It was too soon to try to work with her again today, but Amy's desire to try and fix what she'd already broken was edging her toward hanging around and giving it another shot.

"Tomorrow," she told the mare then forced herself to leave Chloe be and walk back to her truck to head back down the road.

Halfway up the driveway she was stopped when a familiar palomino came cantering along the drive, Tim waving her down. "Amy!"

Out of respect for her father, Amy pulled the truck over, though she did seriously consider driving right on by. Things still weren't totally back on solid ground between them and right now Amy wasn't so sure she was in the right state of mind to deal with him. Her hands gripped the steering wheel as she watched him pull up Champ and wait for her to stop before coming along the side of the vehicle to the window, gesturing for her to roll it down.

"What are you doing here? You should be home."

Amy didn't mean to come off as rude as she rolled her eyes away from her father and shook her head, but that was about the fourth time she was asked that question today and was a little tired of hearing it. "I'm going home now. Just came to grab some things." He didn't need to know the whole story.

"Oh." There was an awkward pause where Amy turned to look at him again, waiting for him to continue asking her questions or to make some comment about where Ty was and why he wasn't with her. But Tim didn't say anything and Amy was getting impatient.

"Okay, well, I'm gonna head out." She reached to put the truck back into gear.

"Wait, hold on… How are you? How are things?" Tim asked hesitantly, his expression soft with concern.

Amy's hand fell away from the gear shift, her head bowing toward her lap for a moment. "I'm okay. Just… taking it a day at a time." Except the days just seemed to drag on forever.

Tim nodded slowly. "And Ty. How's he doing?"

Amy looked at Tim carefully, trying to figure out if he was trying to lead this conversation somewhere less pleasant, but it seemed he was treading lightly and didn't look about to rip into her husband. "Um… he's good, too. He started back at the clinic today so I'm trying to get home to meet him," she said, hinting for their conversation to wrap up to she could leave.

"Right. Okay. Sorry, I'll let you get going." Tim started to move Champ out of the way of the truck when he suddenly changed his mind. "Wait, Amy…" he reached out to gesture for her to hold on, Amy removing her hand once again from the gear shift and letting it rest around the steering wheel.

"Look, I know I've been a complete…"

"Jerk? Hardass?" Amy filled in the blank for him.

"Not exactly the words I was going for, but yeah. I know I've complicated things for you with the whole pregnancy and starting a family but… you have to know that I never wanted…" He stopped himself, not sure if Amy would be able to handle hearing the words and just hoping she understood without them.

That all too familiar ache started to creep into Amy's chest again. "It's fine, Dad. I understand." She forced out through the strain in her throat, but refused to look at him. She couldn't.

"No, Amy, it's not. I understand that what happened would have no matter how I felt about it, but it kills me to think that you thought that maybe I was glad it happened - that I got my way. I'm not. I'm heartbroken." His voice was quiet, evening sounding genuine, but Amy couldn't help the frown that creased her forehead as she finally shot a look at him, her blue gaze glossed over with tears.

"Are you? Because last I recall you were blaming that child for screwing up my life." Her voice cracked and she swallowed hard, tearing her eyes away from him again.

"Yes," he insisted, throwing his leg over Champ to dismount to better see his daughter's broken expression through the window. "I know I didn't give you any reason to believe me now, but please don't think I could ever want something like that to happen to you, or Ty - that I wouldn't care. You're my little girl, Amy. No matter how old you get. If anything it hurts you, then it hurts me, too." Tim studied his daughter closely despite her averted gaze. Her jaw was clenched as tight as her white knuckled grasp on the steering wheel as she breathed slowly to hold herself together.

"When the doctor told us… all I could think about was you and how devastated and heartbroken you were going to be and how much of a… jerk," he used her word, "I was about the whole thing."

"It's a little late now, Dad." Amy said carefully once she knew she'd be able to keep her voice level. "Besides, like you said, it would have happened anyway. So it doesn't even matter anymore."

"It does. It does matter, Amy. I don't want there to be this rift between us anymore. We need to get passed it - move on. Just like you and Ty." Tim realized he was a little late with his apology, but he was also beginning to realize that it might be too soon to ask Amy to move on.

"It's not that easy, Dad." Amy's head shook slowly as her hands fell away from the steering wheel and she slumped back against the seat with her head bowed toward her lap. "Ty and I… we were so excited to start a family. We couldn't wait to tell everyone and then you… you step up and completely ruin it. How could you do that, Dad? Why couldn't you have been happy for us like you were for Lou and Peter?" Granted, Tim didn't take well to Peter either and the two men still had their moments, but Lou's announcement had been met with hugs and congratulations not only from her and Jack, but Tim as well. Why didn't she get that same reaction?

Tim shook his head, having no answer. At least not one that would ever be good enough. "I was just afraid you'd regret it down the road. Lou was on her way to the top in New York. She would have gotten there, too, I'm sure of it. But she traded it all in for motherhood. You don't think there aren't days where she wonders what could have been?"

"I'm not Lou. I've done so much with my life since Mom died, so much to make _you _happy, to make you proud of me. It's about time I start doing things for me. Ty, and just the thought of having a family with him, is what makes me happy. I'll never stop working with the horses that need me, but I have to think about us and our future, too. We want a family. We want kids and a house and our own business together. So what if things got a little out of order, we would have made it work."

"Not sure how in that shed of a trailer…" Tim mumbled almost as if he couldn't help himself. It made Amy scowl at him.

She didn't know why she bothered trying to defend her life to her father anymore when there would always be some part of it he didn't approve of, and with him being her father, there would always be some part of her that cared about what he thought. "My home is with Ty, no matter where that may be and you certainly don't have any right to judge us. You're the one that created this rift, Dad. You fix it on your own." She was done talking to him and didn't bother to wait a third time when he asked her to, throwing the truck in gear and moving it back onto the gravel drive.

"I'm trying- Amy, wait!" Tim urged Champ into a canter, following Amy's tailgate for a few yards before he pulled the gelding up and just let her go, flustered and hurt.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**LK: Excellent chapter and finally, please do not wait so long for update on next chapter. Amy needs to talk to Ty so that they can get through this together. Nice touch about the man wanting to pay medical bills and wonderful response by Ty. Please another update soon and continue with your excellent writing.**

I'm sorry for the wait but I hit some writer's block until a few days ago. I was a little late updating the chapters on here but they were on my tumblr page for about a week. They will always be posted there first. Sometimes I won't update on here right away so if you ever want to read a new chapter as soon as it's posted you can find them at: fuckyeahjavakiss-.-tumblr-.-com/tagged/fanfiction (remove dashes). There are also more stories there than I have posted on this website.


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N:** So this was not how I originally planned for this chapter to go, but that's the beauty of letting a story write itself. Even the person writing it can be pleasantly surprised. I actually like how this version came out better than my original idea. I hope it all makes sense, my mind was on the emotional roller coaster along with Tamy and I might have had trouble sufficiently explaining things, but I'm sure you'll let me know.

I also think this would have been an excellent final chapter to the story because of how brilliantly (not to toot my own horn) it ends. However, I realize there would be loose ends in need of tying up and we can't have that, so this isn't the end, but it's drawing near. I'd say there are _maybe_ between 3-5 chapters left to get out of it, but we shall see. Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

She tried to hold it in. With all her might Amy stared out of the window, focusing on the road ahead, refusing to blink to release the tears, swallowing back sobs that threatened to erupt from deep within. The road began to blur. Amy blinked to get rid of the tears inhibiting her sight. But when those fell more followed, retracing the paths left down her cheeks.

She hated how things were with her father. Every time it felt like they'd finally made progress in their relationship something happened to screw it up again, and every time it was always Tim's fault. Because he was her father and she wanted him in her life after missing out on ten years together, she tried to give him the benefit of the doubt. To forgive his mistakes and move forward. But this time was different. She'd hit the last straw with his pushing and even if she wanted to forgive him for things to be okay again, she just couldn't. She'd tried today but then he had to go and blow it, making her believe that whatever he'd said was only to gain her forgiveness not because that's truly how he felt. Amy couldn't stand the idea of him having been right and having won when she lost the baby. Of course it had been nothing but a tragic accident and he was right that it would have happened no matter how he felt about it, but the fact that he hadn't been completely on board with her pregnancy didn't help. It only made Amy's feelings toward him almost bitter and resentful. She hated feeling that way about her own father, but just couldn't help it. She was too broken inside to try to bury those feelings. There just wasn't enough room for it all anymore and Amy could feel herself starting to crack as she pulled up to the trailer.

Ty's mind was buzzing as he drove the familiar roads out of town. The man at Maggie's and his offer was starting to sink in through the steely front he'd put up. Maybe he'd been too hasty to dismiss the man like that before bringing it up with Amy. He wasn't sure she considered that financial burden they would inevitably face, either, but to bring that up now just felt like he'd be tightening the noose. Telling her about the man at all might not be a good idea as it was bound to bring back the day of the accident all over again. She didn't need another reason to remember it when it already tormented her dreams at night. Yes, he noticed. It was hard not to when she was lying right next to him but getting no rest. Neither of them were, him lying awake worrying about her while she tried to fend off the nightmares. It just wasn't working anymore and while Ty told himself he would let her have the time she needed to grieve on her own, he wasn't so sure he could honor that anymore. He didn't like what they were becoming after going through something so tragic. They should be coming together and seeking comfort in each other instead of solitude.

By the time he pulled up beside Amy's truck at the trailer, Ty made the decision that they'd waited long enough.

Amy's shoulders shook with silent sobs as she leaned into the steering wheel. Breath was trapped in her lungs making them ache with the need to let it out. But she was afraid if she did it would all come out and she'd have no way to stop it.

Reaching to push the door open, Ty looked up to notice Amy still sitting in her truck, hunched toward the steering wheel. Quickly, Ty got out and grabbed the passenger door to let himself in, making her jump. She hadn't even noticed him come home. "Amy?"

Her hands flew to her face in a futile attempt to get rid of the tears and dry her eyes, but it was too late. Ty reached out for her arm, lowering it so he could see her. Somehow his gaze falling on her made it worse and Amy's face contorted with the effort to maintain control of herself. "What happened?" Ty would bet nothing, but he still felt the need to ask.

Her lip trembled and she clamped her mouth shut tight, shaking her head in answer to say nothing had happened. "Amy, you can't keep doing this. You need to talk to me." There was concern in his voice, but also frustration. He couldn't make her talk, but he shouldn't have to. She should want to talk to him and it bothered him a great deal that she didn't and preferred to steel herself to take it on alone.

Tears fell harder as Amy again shook her head, swallowing and opening her mouth to say with a shaking breath. "I'm fine." That was a lie. She didn't even know why she said it. They both knew it was furthest from the truth and Ty's sigh conveyed as much.

"If you're fine then why are you sitting out here in tears? What happened?" he asked again, though didn't really expect to receive an answer since he hadn't before.

Amy slumped back against the seat, using the sleeve of her shirt to again wipe at her face, but her eyes remained on her lap. For a very long minute the truck sunk into an ear-ringing silence, broken only by the muffled tweets of birds outside on the feeder. "I ran into Dad today," she said quietly, sniffing and clearing her throat when her voice came out raspy.

Ty ignored the fact that Amy told him she had no intention of going anywhere that day, knowing better than to believe she'd be true to her word. That was why he asked Caleb to stick around Heartland. "I take it that didn't go well?" It seemed like the obvious assumption given the state of his wife and it started to make Ty's blood heat up when she shook her head, thinking all of what Tim could have said to upset her so much. A lot of things came to mind.

Ty was moments away from getting back in his truck and tearing over to Big River to give Tim a piece of his mind, but the emotional wreck of the woman in front of him kept him from doing so. Tim wasn't who Ty needed to concern himself with right now, but his wife. "Hey," he said gently, reaching out to pull her into him. He ran his hand soothingly along her arm. "Don't concern yourself with him. He's the biggest horse's ass in Hudson County and I know a lot of people who would agree."

"He's my dad, Ty." Amy answered, letting her body relax against his and closed her eyes briefly. They burned from her tears.

"He may think he has the best of intentions, but no one can dictate what's best for you except you." Ty was speaking of Tim and the way in which the older man seemed to think he knew what was best for Amy, but he realized too late that what he said Amy had transferred to him as well.

"And you?" She leaned up, her bloodshot eyes narrowing into a frown. "Isn't that what you've been doing: telling me we need to talk things through."

_Shit._ That backfired. "That's not what I was talking about and you _do_ need to talk to me, Amy." It was a completely different situation and she knew it, but it seemed she was that upset she'd use anything to hold onto her pain instead of letting it out like they all knew she needed to do.

"You're such a hypocrite," she mumbled scrambling out of the truck the same time as Ty, slamming the door and heading into the trailer.

Ty's frustration flared into annoyance when she tried to slam the door in his face. He was quick enough to grab it with one hand, pulling it back open as he reached out to grab a hold of her arm and pulled her around to look at him. "You need to stop being so selfish and quit this self-pity crap. You're not the only one who's been hurt, Amy! I was there, too. I was the father of that baby. I sat for days waiting for you to wake up, dreading the moment I was going to have to tell you we'd lost it. Do you know how awful that was for me? Do you even care how _I_ feel about all of this?" His words were harsh, but they needed to be said.

For days all Amy seemed to care about was herself. She was all Ty cared about, but he had anticipated her seeking refuge in him. He'd hoped that they would have been able to spend these last few days coming to terms with their loss and finding a way to move on through each other and the love they supposedly shared. Ty understood how terribly Amy was hurting, because he was too, but she didn't seem to realize that being too caught up in her own misery to notice, or care.

Amy felt like Ty just slapped her in the face from the sting of his words. her eyes were wide for a moment, startled by his sudden forcefulness. She glanced down at the hold he had on her, twisting her arm out of his hand. "Now who's being selfish." He let go, not wanting to hurt her, though she was already hurting inside from what he'd said. He was right, of course, and now Amy felt twice as guilty for acting the way she had for the last few days, but the next moment she was hurting him as she physically pushed him aside and darted back out the door. "Just leave me alone." She couldn't stand to face him now.

"Damn it, Amy," Ty growled under his breath, striding after her as she headed back to her truck. He caught her, reaching out to snatch her keys from her hand. She held them tightly, fighting to maintain her hold on them when Ty pinned her up against the door of the truck.

"Stop it! Let go," she fought against him, striking him on the chest with her fist but Ty didn't ease up.

"No. Not until you talk to me." He wasn't forceful with her, but used his strength to keep her there and held onto her so she couldn't hit him, though she certainly tried. He kept her restrained and without another outlet to release her hurt, the dam finally burst.

Amy fell completely apart, her body going limp as she gave up the fight entirely. If Ty wasn't there to hold her up, she'd surely have collapsed to the ground. Everything came rushing out of her all at once. Every bit of anger, hurt, fear, resentment, guilt, poured out onto the ground, released through her tears.

It was heartbreaking to witness, Ty a little bit startled by how quickly it came, but he immediately released his restraining hold on his wife to gather her into his arms. She shook in his embrace from the force of her sobs, his arms tightening their hold around her as he closed his eyes and felt his own tears begin to form. He shushed her quietly, his lips resting in her golden hair.

For a long time neither one of them moved or said anything, Ty just waiting for Amy's breakdown to run its course. She buried her face in his shoulder, muffling her cries and only turning her face out again when she started gasping for air. Eventually, she tried to rein herself in, taking deep breaths in an attempt to slow her sobs.

"I do care," she forced out after a while, her voice trembling. That was the whole reason she'd been avoiding "the talk." She cared what he thought and was afraid that what he thought would be it was all her fault. That she had allowed the accident to happen or was even relieved that it had. For a brief instant afterward, she had been, and that fed the overwhelming guilt that ate her away inside. "That's why I've been avoiding it. I care what you think," she explained when her voice became steadier.

Ty didn't quite understand. If she cared then why had she been so distant? "We can't avoid it anymore, Amy. We can't keep doing this. Look what it's done to us. It's driven us apart when we should be closer than ever right now." He spoke over her head, running his hand down along her back while listening to her sniffle and continue trying to pull herself together again.

"I know. Ty, I'm so sorry. I made a terrible mistake thinking it would just get better on its own. It's only gotten worse. I get sick to my stomach any time I think about it and I can't sleep because of the nightmares… I'm afraid to try. But I was even more afraid to face it - to face you." Her voice fell to a whisper, almost hoping he hadn't heard her last confession.

But he had. Ty leaned back, taking Amy's shoulders to urge her to look up at him, his eyes searching hers. "To face me… why?"

Her eyes began to sting again when Amy met that gentle green gaze, making an attempt to lower them when Ty caught her face in his hands and kept her from turning away. "Because you were the father of that baby," she choked out, using his words from before. "Because I was supposed to take care of it. Because…" a breath shuddered out of her as the tears began anew. "Because it didn't live long enough to have a real identity which makes it seem even less important, but it was important, Ty. It was our baby. And I'm so-" She had to stop when another round of sobs forced their way out, but still tried to talk through them. "I'm so sorry I couldn't keep it safe." Amy felt her heart crack wide open as she confessed everything she'd been keeping bottled up inside of her the last few days. It hurt worse than anything she'd ever before experienced (even her mother's death) but it felt like a weight had been lifted.

Ty felt his own heart continue to shatter into a million pieces seeing Amy's agony finally break open. He knew she was hurting, but he really had no idea just how much until that moment. She tried to carry the weight of the whole accident around with her and that wasn't fair, not at all. Not when Ty knew the truth and for a fact it wasn't Amy's fault. "Did you think I'd blame you? Is that what this whole thing has been about?" It clicked then when Amy lowered her eyes in shame. "Are you kidding?"

Amy took a shaking breath before responding. "Our future was there Ty… it was here." She rubbed her hand over her empty belly. "It was our family… and then it was gone. I lost it."

Reaching down Ty took Amy's hand from her belly to hold in his. "You didn't lose it, Amy. It was taken from us. Please don't do this to yourself. It's not your fault. None of it." He tipped his head to touch his lips to her forehead, Amy closing her eyes. "Our future isn't gone. We still have so much to do and if you still want to, we can try again when you're ready. I know another baby won't replace the one we lost, but we can't let one tragedy prevent us from living our life. We'll get passed it, Amy. One day it'll hurt less than it does now until eventually it's a distant memory. I know you still miss your mom everyday, but you've moved on. Came to terms with her death and carried on her work. It got better in time, just like this will."

Amy's eyes remained pressed closed, her tears quieting but still slowly falling. Ty was right, as he'd been from the very beginning when he told her they needed to face it to move on. But it was the hurt facing it would bring that Amy had been so reluctant to feel, because it had crushed her. Now that it was all beginning to fade and the calm settled in, she knew it was the last step in letting go. And what was the next step? "I want to try again… when we're ready. I still want a baby with you, Ty - a family." Moving forward.


	30. Chapter 30

Breaking her silence with Ty hadn't been a cure-all. It didn't miraculously ease the pain or take away the nightmares, but it made it all easier to deal with. That night, after things settled down and they crawled into bed, instead of turning away as she'd done the night before, Amy stretched her body flush against her husband's. Her head fell against his chest when his arms came to hold her close and she succumbed to sleep by listening to the rhythmic beating of his heart.

She was so tired she couldn't even fight to keep her eyes open and fell into a dream only minutes after falling asleep. It was the same dreams as every other night. The black abyss, deafened by the wails of an infant that she was never able to find.

Ty's voice was what again brought her out of the nightmare, Amy's eyes snapping open. She could feel the air of the trailer cold against her wet face, reaching up to wipe the tears from around her eyes as Ty raised himself up to look at her. He'd been trying to wake her up for several minutes when he realized she'd fallen into that dream again. She whimpered in her sleep like a poor lost dog then would call out his name for help. When she woke up she still looked frightened and heartbroken while she tried to tear herself away from the dream back into the real world. Though, he wasn't sure if that was any better of a realization to face.

"It was that dream again," Amy said, pushing herself up in the dark trailer. Once again she was even more tired than when she'd fallen asleep, but knew she still wouldn't be able to get anymore rest. Her fear of falling into that nightmare, or something worse, would keep her up until the early morning light started to peek through the curtains and she didn't need to keep up the struggle anymore.

"I know," Ty answered, reaching out to run his hand along her arm.

"I'm sorry I woke you." She didn't really know what else to say. She couldn't control them and didn't know how to make them go away.

"You didn't. I never fell asleep," he confessed. Like Amy, Ty's nights were restless with his thoughts keeping him awake while his concern for his wife kept him alert. He'd lay there lost in his own mind while listening to her every breath, just waiting for that slight change that told him it was there attacking her vulnerable mind again.

A chill ran along Amy's arms and she wrapped them around herself, folding her knees up to her chest and leaning to rest her head on them. Her ribs ached again since the pain medication wore off and her head began to dully throb from both stress and exhaustion. "I feel like I'm slowly losing my mind. I try to keep myself busy, keep my mind occupied, but I can't focus on anything. I just keep going back to it, even in my dreams. I just want to get passed it. I'm so tired, Ty." Her voice cracked as she turned her face into her knees, closing her eyes and wishing she could sleep without disturbances.

Ty sat up, reaching out to run his fingers along her back. "Trying not to think about it is only going to make you think about it even more. Don't fight it, Amy. It's part of the process. Let it come. Let it out like you did tonight. You'll feel a lot better if you do and will find it easier to move on." He guided his hand to her side, pulling her against him and leaned his forehead on her shoulder. "You don't need to be strong all the time." His head lifted to look at her though her face was still hidden. "That's why you have me."

Feeling Ty so close was comforting. It always had been. He made her feel safe and protected. She could expose her vulnerabilities and know they wouldn't be judged or exploited. Turning her head, Amy opened her eyes to look at him in the dark. "How do you do it? Stay so strong and collected."

"Because of you," he answered, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I made a promise to myself, and to you, while in the hospital that I'd be there for you. That I'd be your strength to help you through this. You're the one thing I care about more than anything else in this world, Amy. I'd do anything for you. Be anything you need me to be. I'd be lying if I said it doesn't still hurt me to think about what happened and what we lost, but as long as you're okay, then I'll be okay, too." He offered her a small reassuring smile that she slowly returned before unfolding herself and shifting to fall into his arms as they lay back together as they had when their night began.

"We'll be okay," Amy said quietly and for once she felt like she could believe it.

* * *

Getting out of bed a few hours later when the alarm sounded felt nearly impossible. Neither Amy nor Ty were able to get back to sleep and just lay awake resting in each other arms. They didn't talk, just dozed, Amy listening to the steady thump of Ty's heart against her ear while his fingers stroked through her hair. If she hadn't been so afraid to try to fall back asleep that would have knocked her out cold if she let it. It was soothing and allowed her to fall into a content state of rest without actually sleeping. However, once again that lack of true sleep dragged them both down to the mattress, neither one quick to crawl out of bed once Ty shut off the alarm.

"What are your plans for today?" He asked, wondering if Amy was going to try and lie to him again about staying around the trailer.

Amy sighed heavily, trying to ignore the ache it brought to her ribcage. "I don't know…" She really didn't. She wanted to try working with Chloe again after the epic fail yesterday, but was afraid of running into her father again. Yesterday she hadn't been sure if she was ready to deal with him, but now she knew she wasn't. But still the thought of being left alone at the trailer while Ty was at work didn't work for her either. She'd go crazy sitting there all day and she knew it.

"Do you want me to stick around today? We could go into town for a bit, take a drive somewhere?" Ty only went back to work yesterday because Amy insisted on it and he thought that giving her that space was what she needed. Today, he wasn't so sure that space was a good idea after her breakdown last night.

Amy shook her head, getting up to dig into her jeans for her pain meds. "No. You should go to work. I'll be fine, Ty. I'll… I'll find something to do." She filled a glass with water and took a few sips before popping the pills into her mouth and swallowing them with another gulp of the cool liquid. "You shouldn't give Scott the run around."

Scooting up out of bed, Ty stepped up behind his wife and placed his hands on her hips. "Scott will understand. He didn't think I'd be back so soon and had Cassandra scheduled for the whole weekend. I was just going to go in to give her a break, but she'll get over it." She'd be pissed at him for reneging, but Ty didn't really care. "I'd rather be here with you."

"Why, to make sure I don't venture off to Heartland again?" Her tone wasn't harsh in any way, but light, even a little teasing as she glanced at him over her shoulder to see his expression change to one of mock surprise.

"What are you talking about? You mean, you went to the ranch yesterday even after promising you wouldn't?"

"Oh, like you didn't ask Caleb to stick around and play babysitter," Amy shot back, laughing softly when Ty's arms encircled her waist.

"Because I know you better than anyone." He nuzzled into her neck, tickling her with his lips for a moment before relenting his hold as not to hurt her.

Amy's laughs quieted and she turned around after setting her water on the counter, a smile still light on her lips. "You aren't upset with me?"

Ty sighed with a smile, shaking his head slowly. "No. I knew you wouldn't be able to stay put all day. As long as you didn't get yourself hurt?" Aside from the emotional wreck Ty found her in, Amy had looked physically okay. So he hoped that Caleb had managed to do his job and keep her out of harm's way with the horses.

Unable to lie to Ty from the way her guilt showed through her diverted eyes, Amy told him about Chloe, but made sure to also assure him that Caleb had tried to talk her out of it and had remained there the whole time to keep an eye on her. But she conveniently left out the part about the mare knocking her over, rejigging the story just a bit. "I feel terrible, though, Ty. I went in there not at all in the right state of mind and probably made things even worse."

Ty didn't hide the fact that he wasn't pleased with hearing that Amy had gone to work with a client horse, but she came back in one piece so there wasn't anything he could do about it now. If not for her own safety, she should have known better than to put a horse's treatment at risk as she had. But Amy seemed to realize that now, so Ty didn't point it out. "You'll fix it. You always do. I just wish you'd have thought of that beforehand."

Amy looked away again, ashamed. "I know… but I want to try again with her today. Especially now that… that everything…" She used her hands to try to mime the opening of floodgates. "You know… came out."

Ty was already shaking his head. "No. I don't think you should be working with any horse right now. Not until your ribs are healed. You could re-injure yourself." He didn't like this idea at all, but he knew how stubborn his wife could be and prepared for an argument.

"Please, Ty. You can come with me. I just want to try to join-up with her again. I won't handle her." There was a part of Amy that knew Ty was right, that she shouldn't be pushing herself and risking making her injuries worse, but she didn't know what else she was supposed to do. Helping horses was her job, working at the ranch was her life and part of her day-to-day since she was born. She didn't know how to sit around or take things easy. More importantly, she didn't want to.

"Amy…" Ty started, trying not to get frustrated with her persistence, but she was already there cutting off what he tried to say.

"You can stand in the ring with me. Right there. In case something happens. And I promise I won't push myself. I'll only work her for… thirty minutes - if it even takes that long. Okay? Please?" It was Amy's turn for a little persuasive nuzzling, wrapping her arms around Ty's waist and leaving sweet tender kissing along his jaw that was clenched tight as he tried to stick to his guns. But Amy would always be his weakness - his kryptonite - and he had a very hard time ever telling her no.

"Fifteen minutes and not a second more," he insisted, needing to feel like he won in some way even if he was caving.

Amy left a last kiss on his neck before pulling back and nodding with a smile, leaning in to press her lips to his. "Okay," she agreed with her mouth brushing over his.

"Say it." Ty again insisted, looking down into her baby blue eyes that had the first bit of happiness in them Ty had seen in days. He just couldn't say no and watch that disappear.

"Fifteen minutes." Amy replied, even giving a firm nod of her head to show she understood.

"Fifteen minutes or I'll throw you over my shoulder and force you out if I have to." Ty pressed. He was serious about this, but Amy shook her head and laughed at how adamant he was.

"Ty, okay. I'm not sure throwing me over your shoulder would be much better for my ribs, but I understand your point. Now I'll give _you_ fifteen minutes to get your butt ready and in the truck." She grinned and poked him in the chest then slipped out from between him and the counter to get ready despite the dull ache in her side that thankfully dissipated by the time they were climbing out of the truck at Heartland.


	31. Chapter 31

It didn't take long at all for Ty to have second thoughts about allowing Amy to get in the round pen with Chloe. She stood back and waited for him to retrieve the paint mare, keeping her promise not to handle the horse and allowing him to do it. But one look at Amy and the mare planted her feet and tried to bolt backward, Ty barely able to keep a hold of the lead as she nearly tore it from his hands.

"I don't know about this, Amy." Ty said after he managed to drag the mare into the pen and let her loose. She immediately turned and tried to run out the gate, pacing the perimeter in search of an opening to escape. They both watched the horse warily from the center of the ring, Amy feeling the guilt of creating this fear seeping into her confidence. "Fifteen minutes," she reminded her husband, reaching for the rope in his hands and stepping toward the mare to begin driving her around.

It didn't take much effort at all as the moment Amy moved toward her, Chloe took off at a dead gallop, throwing a few bucks before sliding to a stop at the gate to the pen she'd come from and continuing to look for a way out. Amy clucked, tossing the rope at her to keep her moving, causing the mare to squeal and kick out at her.

Ty held his breath and his ground in the center, keeping out of Amy's way but at the same time preparing in case he needed to throw himself between his wife and the horse. "Don't overdo it," he told her when Amy took a few running steps to get in front of the mare and force her to change direction. He wasn't opposed to cutting those fifteen minutes short if Amy didn't take it easy. As much as he believed that only Amy knew what was best for her, he also believed that she didn't always know her limits. Or more like ignored them. He wasn't about to let her do that now when she still had so much healing to do.

Amy ignored Ty's warning as she jogged passed him to again cut Chloe off and change her course. They went on with no progress for ten minutes, as Ty so helpfully reminded her. The fact that he kept peeking at his cell was beginning to irritate Amy and drawing her focus away from the horse. Finally, Amy came to a stop, coiling the lead into her hand. "I can't do this with you in here checking your phone every minute," she told him while her eyes were still on the cantering horse.

Ty pushed his phone back into his pocket. "Then maybe you should just stop. You're not making any progress anyway."

Amy shot him a look. No, she wasn't about to do that. "How much time to I have?"

"Four and a half minutes." That were slowly ticking by the longer they stood there discussing it.

"Then give me those four and a half minutes alone with her." Amy clicked and pressed the horse on, stopping again when Ty didn't move to leave the pen. "I know I said you could be in here with me, but I can't focus on the horse with you standing there worrying. It's distracting and Chloe can sense it. Please, Ty. Just let me do this." She needed to do this, alone, without Ty there breathing down her neck.

"Amy, no. I let you in here against my better judgment only because I was going to be right here in case something happened. I'm not leaving you alone with this horse." Ty shook his head, being firm in his decision and not at all willing to back down no matter how hard Amy begged and pleaded with him. It wasn't even just because this horse was holding a grudge. He'd have felt the same with any horse Amy chose to try and work with. He didn't want her in there at all.

Scoffing in frustration, Amy shot an annoyed look at her husband before turning away from him and waving her arms to keep Chloe moving. "Then I get ten minutes without you looking at your phone," she bargained, already sensing the frown that came to his face.

"You get five and I'm setting my timer, so take advantage of the next twenty seconds while I do it." Ty pulled out his phone and thumbed through his apps for the stop watch, setting it to five minutes and pressing 'Start' before making a show of putting the phone in his pocket for Amy to see. He raised his hands to prove that he didn't have it out, which actually made her lips twitch in an attempted smile as she shook her head and put her full attention on the running horse.

Amy kept at Chloe, watching her ears begin to flick uncertainly until the inner one ultimately came to rest on her. Maybe the mare respected Amy's persistence, or was just getting tired of being forced to run as she'd been driven for far too long yesterday. Little did she know that Amy's time was fast running out, Ty reminding her of that with the way he stood with his arms crossed and watched his wife chase after this horse. Amy forced herself not to pay any mind to him, though, now that she had Chloe's attention. After another lap, Amy stepped in her path, making the mare stop and look at her. Moving in front of her, Amy waved the rope to encourage her to change direction, watching as the horse pivoted in toward Amy to turn around and start trotting the other way. "Good girl," Amy praised in a low voice.

Ty's phone vibrated in his pocket. "Time's up," he informed her, pulling it out to shut off the alarm.

Amy ignored him and continued driving the mare around the pen. Didn't he see she was almost there? He watched her join up with a horse thousands of times to know what the signs were. They were there. She just needed more time. Just a few more minutes. "Amy," he said, watching her but not moving to stop her.

"Get up," Amy clucked at Chloe, urging her into a canter and continuing to ignore Ty as she broke into a jog to keep up.

"Amy, I mean it. Stop." Ty wanted to reach out to grab her and make her stop before she hurt herself, but wasn't so sure that'd be a wise decision. They didn't need to find themselves in an altercation now when they just managed to get over one.

"Just a minute," she finally answered, hearing the frustration coming to Ty's voice. Ignoring him completely would only exacerbate it and as much as she was defying their agreement now, she didn't want to push it over the edge. It seemed they were both trying not to cause any more tension between them, while still being stubborn in their decisions, but it bought Amy more time, time that she needed for Chloe to lower her nose to drag along the dirt.

Amy stopped and Ty once again held his breath as she turned away from the horse and held hers too, closing her eyes and listening. Not wanting to screw the moment up, Ty turned away as well, his gaze shifting to see his wife's mouth moving in quiet words. "Come on, girl," she barely whispered, her fist tight around the rope as she remained still. "You can trust me. I promise you can," she breathed.

A long moment passed before they could hear the soft thud of hooves in the sand as Chloe made her approach, Ty watching her appear at Amy's shoulder from the corner of his eye and the smile finally spread over her lips as she opened her eyes and turned slowly. "Good girl." Amy reached up to rub her neck gently, showing the horse that what happened yesterday wasn't going to ever happen again. "I'm so sorry I hit you. I was hurting and it was all bottling up inside… you were just afraid. I was afraid, too." Amy rest her forehead against the black patch on the mare's neck. Finally, it began to feel like the pieces of her life were gradually being pieced back together again.

Ty stepped around the horse to stand beside his wife, reaching out to rest his hand on her back. Amy lifted her head to look at him with a soft smile, leaning away from the horse into her husband instead. "Thanks for not throwing me over your shoulder."

"Believe me, I wanted to. Another minute and I probably would have, but you were right: you needed to do this." Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, Ty gave her a gentle squeeze. "Just promise me you'll relax now until your ribs heal, okay?"

Smiling softly, Amy nodded. Now that she had righted the wrongs she'd created, it made it possible for them to actually move forward again and get back on track. Of course they'd never fully get over the loss they suffered, but the one thing Amy learned from the whole ordeal wasn't exactly a lesson, but a reminder. A reminder of the promises exchanged on their wedding day to support each other in both easy and trying times, to love without reservation, and to always be open and honest with each other. The journey they began that day was one they would take together, no matter where it led.

Now that she made some positive progress with Chloe, Amy let Ty take her out to the field to socialize with the rest of the herd instead of being secluded to one of the back pens alone. She took a deep breath as she watched him walk with the mare through the barn to the gate on the other side, finding a soft smile coming to her face and relaxing the tension that had been there for days. She was still a ways away from feeling one hundred percent, but even the slightest progress was encouraging and she could already feel her heavy heart start to lighten.

With her mission for the day accomplished, Amy was ready to adhere to Ty's request of taking it easy so _he _could take it easy and not worry about her anymore. There were other things Amy could think of that needed doing, but she ignored the urge to do them and instead went to climb back into the truck to wait for Ty to come back so they could go grab some lunch. She still wasn't very hungry, but needed to eat and she knew it would make Ty happy to see her eat something instead of just stare at her full plate as she'd been doing the last few days.

An unfamiliar car pulling down the driveway made her pause with the door open as she watched it curiously. There was a part of her that panicked thinking it was Chloe's owner coming to check the mare's progress or to take her away thinking Amy wasn't going to be able to do anything with the horse because of her accident. The conversation they had over the phone the day before hadn't exactly been encouraging.

Closing the door again, Amy walked to meet the vehicle as the window began to roll down. The driver was a middle-aged man, probably around Tim's age. "I'm looking for Amy Borden?"

"That's me," she answered, looking past him to the older man in the passenger seat as he opened the door to climb out. She watched him walk slowly around the car, pulling an old felt hat from his balding head. He stopped a distance away and just looked at her, the strangest look in his eyes Amy had ever seen. It was making her uncomfortable and uncertain as to why they were there. "What can I help you with?" She finally asked when it didn't seem as if the man was going to speak first.

"I'm Charles Young. I-" He stopped abruptly when Ty came out of the barn and spotted them. Clenching his jaw tight, he strode over and gently shouldered in front of Amy to stand between her and Charles. "I thought I made it perfectly clear that we don't want your charity."

Amy was startled by Ty's aggressiveness and took a step back, looking between the dark, resentful, expression on his face to the soft, remorseful, one of Charles'. "Ty, what's going on? You know him?"

"He's the man that hit you, Amy. He almost killed you." A new found ache erupted in her chest and began spreading as her eyes traveled back to Charles. Flashes of his stunned face from behind the windshield blurred in her mind. From the look of him, Ty might as well have hauled off and punched the poor man as his expression contorted from the pain of Ty's words.

"I just came to see for myself that you were doing alright."

"I told you she was fine," Ty interrupted curtly, but Charles only glanced at him before he dug into his pocket for a folded up postcard, smoothing it out and taking a step forward to show them Amy's business card that she posted around town. "I found this hanging up at the diner. Yours wasn't exactly a face I could soon forget." When Ty only continued to pierce him with his eyes, and bit back a few more harsh words, he cleared his throat and retreated that step. "I, uh, I spoke with your husband yesterday about-"

"And I told you no," Ty interrupted yet again, unable to believe this man's nerve to show up looking for Amy after Ty clearly told him they weren't interested.

"Ty, please," Amy urged him gently, reaching to touch his arm and step around him. She couldn't explain what looking at Charles made her feel. It wasn't pleasant, but the repentant look on his face made her want to hear why he bothered to come now. He obviously had something he wanted to say to her despite Ty's apparent attempt at keeping him away. He had seemed relieved upon witnessing her up and walking, obviously on the mend physically, but it was a thin veil. What was hidden behind it was much more difficult for him to shoulder.

Charles shot Ty a tentative look, waiting to see if he was going to override his wife. Though Ty wanted to tell his guy to go back the way he came, he closed his mouth. He knew he shouldn't have been so hasty yesterday in dismissing the man and his offer without speaking to Amy first, but he'd been shocked and upset upon running into him that he hadn't been in the right mind set to deal with it. Today didn't feel any different, but Amy had a right to know. He just hoped she reacted similarly as he had by telling him to get lost.

Folding up the card, the elderly man returned it to his pocket, his eyes lowering to the ground in front of them for a moment as if trying to gather both his wits and his words. "I can't even begin to tell you how truly sorry I am for what happened. For… for your child as well," he paused as if torturing himself by truly letting that thought sink in - that he destroyed a life before it even had the chance to really live. It made both Amy's and Ty's jaw clench tight, though for slightly different reasons.

"It was my fault. As I told your husband, I shouldn't have even been driving, but I had no other - it doesn't matter." He shook his head, his hands gripping tightly onto his hat. "What matters is doing whatever it takes to make this right. I can't bring back what you lost, but I hope to help you pay for whatever medical expenses have been charged." He glanced at Ty briefly, waiting for him to interrupt again, but when he stood his ground and only fumed, he looked back to Amy. "I realize you may think I'm only doing it to make myself feel better… I guess that is partly true. But I also want to do it for you - for both of you. Considering it was my stupid mistake that burdened you this way, it's only right that I take full responsibility. If you'll allow me."

His struggle to look Amy in the eye was obvious, though she found it difficult to look at him, too. His face had been masked to her before. Any time she fell into a nightmare about the accident all she ever saw were the headlights blinding her before she would jolt awake as the car hit her. Looking at him now, the face behind the windshield became clearer and panic began to seize her. She didn't know what to say or how to react and looked toward Ty for some kind of an answer. He said he'd already told the man they didn't want his money, but there was a rational part of Amy that was starting to take those bills into consideration when she hadn't cared about them before. They hadn't received them yet, but they were surely coming. While they were both doing well and currently held the money to put a down payment on a ranch whenever they managed to find the right one, those incoming bills would surely set them back. Here was this man, standing before them offering to take care of it. No matter if he was merely doing it because of his guilty conscience, he was still stepping up to face the consequences of his actions. However, Ty had already declined the offer and Amy didn't want to upset him by overriding it even if she did think it might be best for them all around to take this deal. On the other hand, she didn't want anything to do with this man. She didn't want to have to see him, or think of him, and be reminded of the tragedy that struck her family. No matter how remorseful he seemed, it didn't stop the memory of the accident from becoming fresh all over again just as she was ready to begin putting it behind her.

She could feel her heart clenching in her chest and her breathing grow heavier. She no longer wanted to be there. "No… No," she finally answered with a shake of her head, stepping away. "I can't… please just go."

"Mrs. Borden, please," Charles insisted, but Ty was quick to step up and get in his face.

"She asked you to leave. I suggest you do," he told the man sternly, nodding toward the car that was still idling behind him. "And I don't want to see you here again," he added, turning away and touching his hand to Amy's shoulder to guide her to his truck.

She was shaking as she climbed in, all hope of a good day washed right down the drain. Clenching her hands together, Amy took a few deep breaths as Ty hopped in beside her, glancing in the rear view mirror to watch Charles climb into the other vehicle and head back the way he came. "We can just go home if you want," he said, resting his arm over the back of the seat and rubbing his hand gently along her shoulder. After that encounter Ty would understand if Amy wasn't willing to go out and deal with other people, but she surprised him by shaking her head.

Going home sounded like a better idea, but Amy didn't want to spend all day locked inside where her mind had time to wander. She needed to get out for a while. "No. I can't keep hiding away from the world. Let's go to Maggie's," she said, reaching for her seat belt. 'But make it a short visit, okay?" She added with a light smile, realizing that people would be there with their sympathetic stares and condolences, which something she didn't think would be so easy to endure.

* * *

**A/N:** I forgot to mention this in chapter 30, but JPete mentioned in his review of chapter 29 about Ty graduating vet school. Earlier on in the story (it was a long time ago now, I know) it was mentioned that Ty had since graduated and was now working full time with Scott. Just thought I'd clear that up so there was no disappointment when it didn't happen, since it already had. Haha! ;)


	32. Chapter 32

Stepping into Maggie's had been pretty much as Amy feared as just about every pair of eyes landed on them and followed them through the diner until they took their seats in the far corner. Amy took the seat with her back to the wall, disliking the idea of people staring at her from behind. She'd rather be able to see their faces as opposed to feeling their gazes. They both made an effort to ignore people, only looking up when a waitress appeared to set silverware and menus in front of them. Her sympathetic glance darted between them with a soft smile before she walked away to give them a few minutes to decide.

"You okay?" Ty asked, turning his menu around and opening it, though he didn't immediately look at the options as his eyes fixed on Amy who shifted a little uncomfortably but nodded.

"Mhm. Just feels like we walked into a fishbowl is all," she commented, taking a peek around before hiding herself behind the menu. She didn't lower it again until the waitress returned to take their orders and took the menus away with her, leaving Amy to stare out the window to avoid meeting anyone's eyes.

Ty spun his rolled silverware slowly on the table in front of him, his green gaze catching his wife's when she looked at him upon feeling it on her. "What?" she asked with a little smile.

"I'm glad you didn't take that offer," he told her in a low voice, knowing there were probably some ears on them. "We don't need his money. We'll be fine." He nodded in emphasis.

"Will we? Ty, the money we've been saving is for our ranch. We don't know how much this is going to set us back, or how long it's going to take to build it up again. We've been working toward this for years and it's starting to feel like we're spinning our wheels and not getting anywhere." They'd been sitting on their savings for a long time now just waiting to find their new dream ranch after the first fell out from under them. It wasn't like they were still struggling to make ends meet. They were ready for that next step and had been searching to take it. This accident was going to take them right back to where they started two years ago with Ty working extra shifts and Amy taking on more clients and clinics to contribute to their future.

"If you felt this way then why didn't you just accept it?"

"Because you had already told him no and… and I wasn't sure I'd be able to face him again. I just wanted it to go away so we could move on."

Ty sighed and leaned back in his chair. He felt like they made the right decision in declining Charles' offer, but Amy did have a point. They waited for years to make it this far and in one instant it was all ripped right out of their hands. Their child and their savings and hope of getting out of the trailer sooner rather than later. It was all gone, but it didn't have to be. Their child they couldn't bring back, but they could save their dream of owning their ranch and starting their business together, which had been their primary goal before the news of Amy's pregnancy came to light. It was a terrible tragedy and an agonizing loss that they would never forget, but they could still have their family. There was still time for that after they settled into the life they dreamed of for years.

"Maybe I was a little too quick to tell him to shove off," Ty admitted after thinking the whole thing over again. He thought it made them seem selfish to take this man's money so they could hold onto theirs instead, but he was beginning to have second thoughts. The accident was an accident but it wouldn't have happened at all if not for an avoidable, careless, mistake. There were legal issues at play that, if they were to take Charles Young to court, they'd end up be awarded compensation anyway, but at the expense of additional time and pain and money from their pockets being placed for lawyers in the courtroom. It wasn't worth the time or energy to bother with it, even if they would have every right to. Mr. Young seemed to realize that and took the issue into his own hands, coming to them to face his mistake and take on the consequences at his own accord.

Amy lifted her blue eyes to Ty's. "You seemed pretty adamant about not agreeing to it. I've never seen you so upset."

"I know. I was. I still am or… I want to be, but now I can't help but think that maybe it'll go away faster if we let him foot the bill. If we did payments, any time that envelope comes in the mail it'll just be another reminder. Even if we were to pay it all at once, if we even could, any extra shifts I take where I'm away from you will still be a reminder." Amy was nodding at Ty's words, understanding perfectly what he was saying. While she feared any interaction with Mr. Young would be painful, it would be just as hard to see those bills every month and their empty bank account.

"It may be too late now." He came looking for Amy after being shot down by Ty in hopes that she'd feel differently, but after she too declined the offer, he really didn't have any choice but to just accept it and leave them be. "Anyway, we didn't even get a bill yet. It may not be as bad as we think."

But it was. It wasn't until a week later that dreaded envelope made its appearance in their mailbox. For a couple of days she and Ty had hesitated to open the box for fear of it being there, but eventually they decided not to worry about it until it actually came. The rest of that week had gone by better than it could have. Some days were harder than others and the nights were still just as bad, but at least it was all bearable. There was no longer any rift between them and any time Amy began to fall apart she no longer retreated inside of herself, but reached out to her husband and they would cry together. On one occasion when he was working a shift at the clinic, Amy called her sister to keep her company for a while. She couldn't stand to be alone anymore when for so long that's all she wanted, but since realized that all it did was make her feel alone in her grief. She wasn't at all and was now able to talk a little more openly about the accident and all of her fears prior to that about the pregnancy and becoming a mom. Even her excitement and how devastated she'd been when it had all been taken away. It wasn't easy to talk about, but at least she was doing it and getting it out – helping herself and her husband to continue moving on.

"Ty." Amy returned to the trailer with the small stack of mail in her hands, having rifled through it and pulled out the envelope with the return address for Foothills Medical Centre printed in the corner. She looked up at him apprehensively, letting him take the envelope from her hand to get a better look at it.

"Well, let's see the damages." This wasn't something they could simply set aside or toss as junk mail. They probably could ignore it for a few months until that final notice forced them to deal with it, but that didn't make it go away. Ty stuck his finger under the flap to tear the envelope open and pulled out the papers within. There was a good three pages that he quickly shuffled through until locating the one with the dark bold dollar sign at the bottom. He stared at the number – the very high number – for a long moment.

Amy was afraid to look for herself, instead focusing on her husband's face as it tensed. "How bad is it?" She almost didn't want to ask, but needed to know how far this was going to really set them back.

"Uh, probably about as bad as we anticipated." He handed her the bill while taking a gander at the other two pieces that came with it, one being a simple cover letter and the other a double sided break down of payment options.

Amy could feel her heart sink upon glimpsing the number. "This is almost as much as what we've saved up to put down on the ranch." She slid down onto the bench seat, feeling the weight of their dreams crashing down around her.

"I know," was all Ty could reply in concurrence. "But we can pay in installments so it's not like the rug is being completely ripped out from under us. Not yet. I'm back to work full-time and once your ribs are healed you'll be able to take on more clients. We'll be okay, Amy. We just have to think about cutting costs – eating out at Maggie's less, carpooling- What?" he stopped when she looked up at him.

What Ty said made sense and Amy wanted to believe him. She'd been trying to remain positive about the whole thing since it happened but now that the bill was staring them in the face she was finding it difficult. "I'm just… I'm not sure how we're going to come back from this one." She shook her head and set the bill down, covering the total with her hands, though it was already burned into her retinas. "We kept our wedding small to keep costs low – even with Lisa insisting to contribute – and we skipped a honeymoon entirely to hold onto that money for the ranch. The ranch that just keeps remaining out of reach. All we do is try to save money, but it never feels like we're ever going to be able to use it for what it's intended. I don't want to be stuck here forever, Ty. I want to be able to see you more than a few hours before we go to bed at night. I feel like this last week is the most time we've been able to spend together since you started vet school." And while it was nice, the circumstances that made it possible were not. Amy would be the first to admit she wasn't a fan of change, even feared it, but sometimes it just needed to happen. Life couldn't remain the same forever, and she was more than ready to start taking on those new life changes that she and Ty had been planning for over five years. It was time.

Ty sighed and fell into the recliner across the table from his wife. "I'm just not sure we have any other choice, Amy." There was a beat of silence between them as they mulled over their situation before Ty spoke up again. "Do you think we should maybe try to get a hold of that Mr. Young?" Ty still cringed at the thought of allowing that man to take responsibility for the bill. It wasn't like they would be left in the poor house paying it off, but right where they were as a young couple with big dreams that turned into a game of cat and mouse. But he was getting restless just as much as Amy. Facing parenthood was a real wake-up call and despite Tim's approach to a reality check, he was right in one thing: they couldn't raise a family in the trailer. It would have been doable if left with no other options, sure, but not ideal and certainly not easy. They would have made it work, but for how long before it overwhelmed them? They'd surely be more careful now with their sex life, but they couldn't completely control if and when Amy got pregnant again. He wanted to be able to welcome their child to a decent home where he or she would have room to grow and learn and where he and Amy could have the space to raise and nurture him or her.

Silence fell again while Ty waited for Amy to respond. He watched her closely, trying to gage her reaction for himself. Her eyes lowered from his as her brow creased into a slight frown as she moved her hands away from the paper and lifted it in front of her as she leaned back against the bench. She chewed on her lip for a moment. It would make everything easier if they just went ahead and accepted that offer, but it had been over a week. The statute of limitations on the deal had probably since worn out. "No." Amy finally answered, setting the paper on the table and looking up at Ty with the same crease in her brow but a new look of determination glinting in her eye. "No, you're right. We don't need him. We'll figure it out, just like we've been doing." Things were finally starting to go back to normal despite the nightmares and occasional ache in her ribcage.

Ty nodded, still glad Amy could believe that, even with these setbacks, they'd still make it in the end. It was just going to be a little bit harder now than they originally hoped. "Okay." He reached out to grab the bill to fold back up with the rest of them, but before he did his hand took Amy's instead. "We'll get there, Amy. No matter what my happen to slow us down, there's no way in hell we're going to give up, okay? I won't let that happen." The struggle to reach their goals and achieve their dreams was perhaps the greatest lesson about life a person could ever learn. It tested their limits and challenged their relationship, sending them to the breaking point until there was no where left to go but forward. Through sheer determination, perseverance, and a little help from love, they would always come out on top. Eventually, they would reach that pinnacle of success when they could look down at the mountain they climbed on the foundation they built together and smile.


	33. Chapter 33

I know what you're thinking: _It's about damn time_. You're right. You're right. I apologize for the long wait, but I did warn you, didn't I? Anyway, here is the newest installment of the TNS saga. I can now say a definite two chapters remain, so gear up for the finish.

* * *

"Good girl," Amy smiled proudly, patting Chloe's painted neck then turning her eyes up to Georgie. "You too, Georgie. Thanks so much for all your help this week." Since Amy promised Ty she wouldn't exert herself with the horses in exchange for going back to work, she commissioned her niece to assist her in the more physical parts of Chloe's treatment and the teen was eager to help.

"Thanks!" Georgie beamed, ruffling the mare's frosted mane that she sat astride. "She's a really nice horse. I'm glad you let me help." Swinging her leg over, the girl jumped down and took the reins from Amy, but the smile began to slide from her face as she hesitated before heading to the barn to untack.

"What's the matter?" Amy asked, her face softening with concern.

"Lou told me not to ask. She said it might be too soon, but…I was just wondering…" Georgie paused, wetting her lips and lowering her brown gaze toward the sand.

"What is it, Georgie?" Amy prompted softly, her brow knitting with curiosity.

After another moment of consideration, the girl lifted her eyes to her aunt. "Are you and Ty going to have another baby?" When Amy didn't answer right away, trying to form some sort of response, Georgie went on quickly, "It's just that I was really excited to hear I was going to have a cousin. And to babysit and…stuff…" she trailed off, realizing she might have started to sound selfish.

It had been a little while since the accident was brought up by anyone, including her and Ty. The only reminders Amy had were the nightmares and fading aches in her ribs that only bothered her if she turned a certain way or moved too quickly. They were trying to focus on getting their lives back together, which included reintegrating into their jobs. But the topic Georgie brought up was one Amy knew she and Ty were going to have to explore together eventually. At the moment she wasn't even sure of that answer herself. "I don't know, Georgie," she answered with a slow shake of her head. "But Lou's right, it is too soon to think about." Amy watched Georgie nod and lower her eyes again as she adjusted her grip on Chloe's reins and started to turn the horse away toward the barn.

"Okay," the girl answered, pausing a moment while her fingers fiddled with the leather. "I'm sorry I brought it up again. I didn't mean to upset you."

Amy offered her a warm smile. "It's alright, you didn't." It was a hard topic to think about and always would be, but Amy was having a much easier time with it now than she had been a couple of weeks ago. Coming from Georgie, Amy didn't give it a second thought. "Hey," she added when Georgie started walking away, waiting for her to pause and look back. "If we do you'll be the first to know. Okay?" That made Georgie smile and nod quickly before leading Chloe back to the barn to untack and brush her while Amy headed for the office to make a phone call to Chloe's owner to let her know the horse was ready to go home.

She fell into the old chair that always felt like it was going to give out at any moment, a sense of relief and calm enveloping her. Not long ago Amy questioned every aspect of her life from her job, to her family, to her future. Not a single piece of it felt certain or secure as it all fell apart at the seams in seemingly one instant. Everything she thought she held in her hands - all of her happiness - just slipped through her fingers. She didn't know if she'd be able to ever face Ty, or her father, or what happened. She didn't know if she would be able to help Chloe after causing more damage to the mare because of her own pain. She didn't know if she and Ty would ever be able to get on their feet again after the accident that took away a precious part of them and their future. It all felt so up in the air and some of it still did, but finding their way through some of those challenges together didn't make the rest of it seem so bad anymore.  
They suffered through one of the worst things any parent could ever imagine going through and came out breathing together on the other side. Amy managed to reverse the damage she'd done with Chloe and now the horse had a bright future ahead of her as a great companion and friend. Her father was one of the things that Amy had yet to face head on, having been avoiding him since their encounter on the road. He'd tried getting in contact with her several times, both in person and over the phone, but she dodged his calls and turned the other way when she saw him approach, grabbing any excuse to leave that she could. She felt in a good place now and was afraid that progress would be stumped if they fell into another argument. But it was just as hard to avoid him. Before announcing the pregnancy things had been good with them all. Even if he still had his reservations about her marriage to Ty, he kept them to himself and they respected one another's space and role in Amy's life. Now it felt like she'd been left to choose, and chose Ty. She would always choose Ty and she knew that, but she didn't want to ever have to make that choice. They were always going to have their differences, but Amy still loved her dad and wanted him to continue being a part of her life and the life of any child she and Ty decided to have in the future - if they decided to try again.

Amy hung up with Chloe's owner and stared at the open spreadsheet on the laptop in front of her, tapping the end of a pencil on her open journal where she'd been filling in Chloe's entry before Georgie came down to help work with the horse. Her day was finished now but going home didn't appeal to her when Ty wasn't there. He was currently picking up an extra shift with Scott, covering one of Cassandra's as an apology for leaving her hanging the week before. Plus the extra money wouldn't hurt. He'd been tentative to do it, still wary of leaving Amy alone, but she made a promise across her heart not to ride or do anything too physical and stuck to it for his sake. Watching Spartan doze in his stall then perk his ears when she'd walk by made her feel guilty for ignoring him. She could see him over her laptop through the open office door, watching Georgie with Chloe, but one ear was turned in Amy's direction. He knew she was in there. "Spartan," she said his name, watching his ear twitch before he turned to look at her, bobbing his head and kicking at the stall.

"Hey! Spartan!" Georgie scolded the black gelding, walking over to pet his neck.

"I've got it, Georgie. You can turn Chloe out back," Amy said as she stood from the desk and came out into the barn aisle, offering her hand to her horse who lipped at it affectionately.  
"I know you miss our rides. I do, too." She sighed and rested her forehead against Spartan's cheek, scratching his poll then combing her fingers through his coarse mane. It had been weeks since she rode him, or worked him in any way and it was starting to take its toll on them both.

"Amy." A gentle voice startled her into looking up, her stomach jolting in her gut when she saw her father standing there. He gazed at her a moment before reaching up to remove the cowboy hat from his head and run nervous fingers through his hair. "C-can we talk? Please?"

Swallowing, Amy looked away from him to Spartan. "I was just about to take Spartan out. Maybe later?" She reached up to take his halter from the hook and began fastening it over his head.

"Should you be riding yet?" Tim didn't miss the way Amy used Spartan as an excuse to get away from him. It's all she'd been doing lately to keep from having to face him. It broke his heart that his daughter wanted nothing to do with him, but he knew it was his own fault.

"I don't think it's any of your business what I should and shouldn't be doing," Amy snapped at him, throwing back the bolt to Spartan's stall and leading him out into the aisle. She really wasn't supposed to ride yet, but Tim didn't know that. Amy was just hoping that if she made a show of it he'd get the hint and leave.

Tim's mouth snapped shut at Amy's tone. "Okay. You're right. I'm sorry. But, Amy, you can't just keep avoiding me. We need to talk." He followed after her as she went to grab Spartan's tack.

"Why? So you can insult my marriage and my husband some more? I get it, Dad. You think I can do better. Well, maybe I don't want to do better because I'm perfectly happy and content with what I have." Amy jerked her saddle from the rack, wincing when a sharp pain radiated through her side that made her nearly drop it until Tim reached out to take it from her. "I can do it myself," she insisted, reaching out to take the saddle back but Tim refused to give it back.

"Just.. let me help you so you don't hurt yourself." Tim ignored her resentful glare and took the saddle over to the black horse and lifted it onto his back, shifting it in place.

"Thank you," Amy said with some bitterness, still unable to be rude to her father despite her desire to get away from him now. But he just hurried along her getaway plan so Amy started cinching up.

"You're right. I do think you can do better. And I think Ty can do better. I know he's not the same man he used to be. I've been around him long enough to know he's turned his life around and worked his ass off getting through school and becoming a vet. I respect him for that, for making something of himself after the hard life he had. But I also don't think either of you are ready to bring a child into the world." Until that last sentence had come from Tim's mouth, Amy had slowed her movements and listened, feeling her walls start to melt away and her will to hear him out return. But at that last line she turned a scowl in his direction.  
"Because we live in a trailer and there's so much more out there in the world." Amy tried not to mock her father's words from before. "Yeah, we've been through this before." She returned to tightening the cinch.

"No…" Tim shook his head. "Well, that's part of the reason. But what I mean is you guys are still so young. Your mother and I weren't much older when we had you and look what happened to us. I loved you girls and I missed you terribly when I was gone, but I was so caught up in achieving my own dreams before settling down that after my accident my whole life just fell apart around me because I had lost sight of what was really important - what other dreams I had outside the rodeo circuit."

"I don't see how that relates to Ty and me. You were gone all of the time, Dad. We wouldn't see you for weeks at a time and when you did finally come home you were leaving again. At least Ty and I see each other every day. We go to bed together and wake up together. I can't remember a time you tucked me into bed. If you're worried about Ty being an absentee father I can guarantee he'll be a better one than you were," Amy snapped, unintentionally hitting a sensitive spot in Tim's front where his expression visibly turned hurt and Amy instantly felt terrible. "I'm sorry," she apologized in a softer tone, lowering her hands from the saddle.

"No, you know, you're right. I wasn't a good father back then, but I've been trying to make up for that and I'm still trying. I know Ty will be a great father. But I want you to learn from my mistakes. The things you want to do with your life - like that trip to Vegas - do it now. Do it before you start wishing you did it when you had the chance. Don't settle down and start having babies before you're ready. Really, truly ready. Children are a great thing and when you hold that little baby in your arms for the first time you'll be filled with this love and awe you never thought you'd ever feel. It's an amazing and miraculous thing. I just want you to step back and look at your life - your wants and dreams. You and Ty, you're going to build an incredible life together. I know that. I just don't want you to have any regrets, even if they are small ones. Okay?" Tim was done now, having said his peace to Amy without being dismissed or ignored. Whether she was ready to forgive him or not, well, that was up to her, but he said what he came to say and would leave if she asked. But until that request was made, Tim remained there in the aisle, studying his daughter who had been listening and studying him back.

Feeling that wall she'd build as a defense against Tim's criticisms melt away, a gentle smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. She heard what he was saying, and understood where he was coming from. Tim had a lot of regrets when it came to his daughters, a lot of things he missed out on because he instead chose to fulfill his own hopes and wishes first. He didn't want the same for them. She got it. "Okay," was her soft answer. She then reached out to wrap her arm around her dad's waist, becoming enveloped by his arms and pressed against his chest, burying her face into his shoulder. "I love you, Dad."

Tim smiled over Amy's head, tipping his lips down to kiss her blonde hair. "I love you, too," he murmured into her hair, closing his eyes and feeling the relief wash over both of them as they stood together in the barn, a broken relationship mended.

* * *

**A/N**: Someone brought up an error in the story in regard to the Canadian healthcare system and how Amy's medical bills would be covered/she wouldn't have any. Being an American I overlooked that little detail but it was kind of an important step in the plot of the story and I had already written it out before thinking about it so I just left it and carried on as intended. To those who noticed, my bad. To those who didn't, well, now you know. ;)


	34. Chapter 34

Passing through the gate to Heartland, Ty swore under his breath when he recognized Tim's blue Ford heading right for him. Pulling over to the side, he hoped the older man continued on by without acknowledging him but couldn't be so lucky as he began to slow down and stop right alongside of Ty, rolling down his window then gesturing for his son-in-law to do the same. After a moment of hesitation, Ty obliged. "I have nothing to say to you, Tim." He wasn't even going to pretend to make small talk.

"That's alright, then you can just listen." Ty didn't look as if he was willing to do that either, but Tim started before Ty decided to take off. "I know what you think of me and what you think I think of you and you can hate me all you want but I want you to know that I never doubted your ability to make my daughter happy. She loves you and no matter what I think or say she's never going to stop loving you. I'm not naive to think she won't choose you over me because she already has."

Ty sighed. "What are you getting at, Tim?"

"I just want you to know that I appreciate everything you've done for Amy and I couldn't ask for a better man to call my son-in-law. You stand up for her, your relationship, your life together, no matter how much of a wreck its become over the last months."

Ty scoffed and rolled his eyes, finished, and reaching to put his truck into gear so he no longer had to listen to his father-in-law prattle on about how he screwed everything up for Amy and their family. "Goodbye, Tim." The man didn't deserve such a courtesy, but he grabbed it before Ty could speed off, actually reaching out of his window as if to grab the wheel from Ty's hand.

"Ty, wait. That's not how I meant it."

Against his better judgement, Ty stopped and slid his resentful gaze to the older man. "Then just tell me what you are trying to say. I'm done with these games, Tim. I'm done with your ridicule and uncanny ability to insult me while making it sound like a compliment."

"I'm sorry." Tim spat. "Okay? I came to apologize to Amy - and to you. I was wrong. I was wrong about everything and I know that doesn't change how I've hurt you or what happened, but I will make a promise to support any and all future decisions you and my daughter make together - whether I agree with them or not." He paused to take a breath and test to see if he caught enough of Ty's attention to keep him listening. He seemed to be, though Tim could tell it was with thin patience so Tim continued on before it wore any thinner.  
"I told Amy I didn't think you were ready to have a baby and I don't, but only because you two have such a great and inspiring partnership I want to see you take it and make it flourish. You've talked and talked about having a business together. What are you waiting for? Do it now. While you're young and before you're tied down with other responsibilities that can't be pushed aside."

"Since when is having a family such a burden? Obviously it was for you when you took off to follow the rodeo and leave yours behind. Amy and I _will_ have that future together, and if it comes years after our children are grown then so be it. We want a family, too, and it doesn't matter to us which order it comes in." Ty felt like they just kept circling this same argument over and over again and never seemed to get anywhere but locked in a stalemate. It was exhausting and he was tired of the tension it created in the family and the stress it caused Amy with her father and husband constantly at odds. "Anyway, because of the accident our finances are going to be pinched for a while." Ty regretfully admitted. They'd come up with a solution, a financial plan thanks to Lou, to pay off the expenses without depleting their savings, but it wouldn't leave them room to invest in a ranch any time soon. Still, at least it was an answer to their trouble.

"Let me help you." Tim offered without a moment of hesitation that Ty was just as quick to decline.  
"No. Tim. The last thing I want is to be indebted to you - again."  
"It's not a loan, Ty. Call it a peace offering. I don't want to have to watch you two to continue struggling through this for years to come. Amy's been through enough pain to last a lifetime, watching your hard earned money whither away like her happiness after losing the baby is adding salt to an already open wound. I won't let that happen and I know you don't want to either. So, please, Ty. I'm asking you again. Let me help."

* * *

"Hey, Georgie. Is Amy still around?" Ty asked after parking in front of the farmhouse and catching the girl on her way from turning Chloe out in the pasture.

"Um, yeah, she was in the barn with Spartan." Georgie replied, gesturing over her shoulder.

"Thanks." Ty placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze before going to find his wife who was making a futile attempt at hauling her saddle back to the rack she'd taken it from.

Ty wasn't surprised to find her in such a compromising position, but his concern for her health had him moving to quickly grab the tack before she could injure herself. "I thought we agreed you wouldn't try anything that could get you hurt. Am I going to have to stick Caleb on you again?" He joked in all seriousness, lifting the saddle into his arms and expecting to find that look of guilt shining in her blue gaze.

"Like he would stop me," Amy argued, recalling how easy it was to talk him into relenting his vigil to let her work with Chloe. "But I wasn't going to ride." She sighed, figuring it was best to just admit to Ty that her father had been there. "My dad came to see me. I just wanted to have a getaway if I needed one."

"I know," Ty stepped around Amy to lift the saddle back onto Spartan's back. "He caught me at the gate. We had a little chat as well."

Amy's breath caught. "Oh?" That made her nervous for understandable reasons, hoping that her reconcile with her father wasn't going to be broken again because he said the wrong things to Ty again.

Reaching beneath the horse to grab the cinch, Ty glanced back at Amy with a reassuring smile. "Don't look so worried. It started out about as well as you could imagine but," he sighed, actually feeling satisfied about their encounter for once, "we managed to find a common ground."

Amy couldn't hide her surprise, and subsequent intrigue. "Really? What was it?"

"You," Ty replied simply, tightening the cinch then letting it go as he turned to place his hands on her arms. "We want the same thing for you Amy: to get passed this. You and I both need to move on or our broken hearts are only going to hinder our future plans."

"I want to get passed this, Ty. Things have been better, you know that. But it's not going to just go away all at once."

"I know, but your dad was right about one thing and that's our savings reopening these old wounds every time we lose more of it in attempt to remove them out of our life."

Amy looked up at him. "What are you saying? That we should call Charles? I thought you agreed we wouldn't."

"Your dad is going to take care of it, Amy. He's offered to pay it off so we don't have to worry about it anymore. And I told him yes." Turning away, Ty went to grab Spartan's bridle, Amy standing stunned for a moment before quickly following.

"Ty, no. I thought you couldn't stand the idea of owing him anything and now you went behind my back to make a deal with him that does just that? What is going to happen to us if he comes to collect? I'm tired of this civil war between us, Ty."

Throwing the reins over Spartan's neck, Ty removed his halter to slip the bit into his mouth. "It's not like that this time, Amy. I made sure of it. Tim promised there would be no strings. I'll make him put it in writing if you want, but I believe him this time. He's trying to make things right and he's doing it for you. We both are. This is for our future, and I'm doing what any husband would do and securing it." Tightening the throat latch, he finally stopped and looked at his wife. "It's already done, Amy. We're not going to worry about it anymore. It's time for us to really start moving on."

Amy remained silent, no longer willing to dispute Ty's executive decision and instead letting herself appreciate what he did for them - what her father was doing for them. Her expression softened as she gazed at him lovingly, eventually nodding. "Okay." She stepped forward into Ty's outstretched arms that folded securely around her middle and drew her in close as she encircled his shoulders with her arms, touching her forehead to his lips briefly before burying her face into his shoulder. "I love you, so much." Her voice cracked as she was overcome with emotion, pressing her eyes shut to tears that threatened to fall.

"I love you, too," he said quietly with his lips pressing into her hair. He stood there holding her tightly for a long moment. "Come on, we're going for a ride."

* * *

**A/N**: I know I said there were only 2 chapters remaining, this being one, but it turned out differently than I expected and rather than shove everything into one chapter, I decided to split it in half because the next one is utterly important and deserves it's own light. Which means that_ now_ there are 2 remaining chapters. As always, enjoy. :)


	35. Chapter 35

"Didn't you just say not a minute ago you didn't want me doing anything that could get me hurt again?" Amy asked as Ty laced his fingers together to offer her a leg up into Spartan's saddle.

"Yes, but what I meant was I didn't want you doing them alone. Without supervision and someone to intervene. Unless you want to put Spartan away and go home…" Ty shrugged and stepped back, willing to honor his wife's wishes if she really did want to heed his request despite his willingness to bend it.

Without another word, Amy turned and folded her leg up for him to gently toss her aboard the gelding. She was surprised, however, that not a moment later he was sticking his own foot into the stirrup and swinging up behind her. "What are you doing?"

"I told you: we're going for a ride." Reaching his arms around her, Ty gathered the reins himself and urged Spartan forward, keeping it to a walk as not to jar Amy's healing ribs, but she did that on her own when she laughed in disbelief after glancing over her shoulder at her husband.

They rode in silence for a time on the trails until they opened onto a wide expanse of plain, the snow-capped Rockies towering above them in every direction. The quiet was peaceful and calming, leaving them both the chance to take a breath of fresh air and admire the scenery. But it only lasted for so long before Amy's mind started to work again. "I take it there's a reason we're out here."

"There is." Ty answered simply, but offered nothing more than that at first, making Amy wonder if he was just playing games with her and waiting for her to guess. "What do you think of the Grand Canyon?"

Amy frowned in confusion. "Uh… it's hot there this time of year?"

Ty chuckled. "I mean, would you like to go there?"

She didn't understand what Ty was getting at, but just went along with it hoping he'd elaborate. "I guess. Sure. I hear it's a beautiful place. Why are you asking me about Arizona?" Amy tried to keep herself from shifting to look over her shoulder at Ty, not wanting to put any strain on her side.

"Our first anniversary is coming up soon. I was thinking maybe we could take a road trip. Get away for a week or so. Relax. Soak up the desert sun and play tourist for a while. What do you think?" They needed to get away. It wasn't really a matter of going for the sake of going, but more of a revival. A chance for them to break away from the stressful events of the last few months, regroup, and return home ready to tackle the next new adventure of their lives. But they needed that transition away from home, where their heads were clearer and their worries far behind them. Ty was ready to make that move, but he just needed to make sure Amy was with him.

Amy didn't take long to consider the idea. "I think we should go."  
"Yeah?" Ty tilted his head to look at her face to ensure she was serious.  
"Yeah. We've been saying we were going to get away for a while now and something always comes up that keeps us here. So, let's go, Ty. Let's go tomorrow." Amy could feel the excitement building at the thought of the long hours on the road with just her husband, no responsibilities other than to each other and nothing to do except talk. They were finally getting back to their old selves after Amy's accident and their grief drew them apart, but the chance to get to know one another again was one worth taking.

"Whoa, tomorrow? Are you sure?" Ty anticipated Amy agreeing to the trip, but he didn't expect her to dive onto it as enthusiastically as she was, willing to just drop everything and take off without any plan except the destination. He admitted the thought was appealing to him, being that adventurous type himself, but it was even more so that his wife was the one to suggest it.

Amy nodded her head firmly. "Absolutely. Chloe is leaving in the morning and once she's gone I won't have any clients left. So let's do this now before things get too busy and it gets postponed - again. My dad was right, Ty. We've been waiting too long for things to fall into the right places. It's time we make them go where and how we want to, no matter the consequences. Let's go to Arizona. Enjoy ourselves, then when we get back start seriously looking into ranches in full force. If we find one, we put a bid on it without worrying about the cost. If we want it, we'll find a way to pay for it. No more stalling, or waiting. We're going to make this happen. And we're going to do it our way." She used to believe that when things were meant to happen they would. If they waited patiently - bided their time - the right ranch would fall into their laps and all of their plans would be put into motion. Things never worked out that way and after witnessing just how her life could fall apart, Amy was done waiting. She was ready to start grabbing life by the horns and making things happen the way she and Ty always wanted them to.

Ty was both surprised and proud of how eagerly Amy embraced this plan, latching on and running with it with this fresh new determination he hadn't seen her have in a long time. He knew how driven she could be, how tunnel-visioned she tended to get when trying to help a horse in need. It made it difficult for her to see the whole picture, but this time it was about their future. Having it right there in their hands and watching it slip away in an instant changed them both and maybe for the better. Losing their child would haunt them probably for the rest of their lives, even when, or if, they had another later on down the road to fulfill that dream of theirs. But it only made their dream that much clearer to see it begin to unfold for the briefest of moments.

"Who are you and what have you done with my wife?" Ty teased her lightheartedly, leaning down to kiss her neck.

Amy laughed softly. "I don't know I just… I feel different. Like something… shifted." Her smiled began to fade. "We've lost so much these last few months and almost each other. I don't want that to happen again."

Pulling Spartan to a halt, Ty let the reins drop behind the saddle horn to slip his arms around Amy's middle, hugging her tenderly to his chest. "You won't ever lose me. I can promise you that." He nuzzled into her neck, brushing her blonde hair aside to leave a kiss at her nape. "You know I'd do anything for you. Even if that means taking money from your dad so we can hold onto our future." As much as Ty believed Tim was honest with his offer and it wouldn't come back to bite him in the ass, he still cringed at the idea of Tim having something like that to hang over his head.

Leaning back against Ty, Amy folded her arms over top of his that were wrapped around her. "There's something else I think we should talk about while we're discussing our future plans," Amy began slowly, a heaviness befalling her tone that made Ty remove his lips and watch her closely. It took Amy a moment to take a breath and continue, but when she did it was with a strain in her voice as she suppressed new tears. "Losing our baby the way we did made me so afraid of the thought of trying again. Not only because of the possibility of it happening again but because I thought I'd feel so guilty, like I was just trying to replace what we lost with another one. I don't want it to be like that, Ty. I want to move on, but… I don't want to just go on to forget about that baby or pretend it never existed. Because it did, Ty. We saw it, heard it's little heart beating. It was ours and any child we might have in the future won't be our first, but our second. I want to do something to acknowledge it, to put it to rest so I can put my heart to rest with it. Then, maybe, once I'm healed and we have our new home, we can start trying again."

At the moment the thought of trying again was a little bit too much for Amy to think about. The scars left behind from losing their first were still fresh and her body still on the mend from the trauma it endured - both physical and mental. While she was on the positive side of recovery, it was still going to be a slow process to fully heal. She still wanted children and a family with Ty - that would never change. It was just going to take some time for her to be completely ready, and that was something Ty understood without a word because he felt similarly and when Amy voiced her desire to have some kind of memorial for their lost child, Ty agreed it was something they needed to do, to give them all the closure they needed.

"That sounds like a good idea. I don't want to dismiss this like another bump in the road, either. I still want to build that life with you but I know we're not ready to really think about trying again and we don't have to right now. So, whatever you want to do, we'll do it. I'm with you, Amy. Through all of it. And when you're ready, we'll take the next step." Leaning around his wife, Ty lifted his arm to brush her chin, turning her head to gently meet his lips.


	36. Epilogue

_Baby Borden_

_So early gone;_  
_To earth a child is lost,_  
_To heaven a cherub born._

The stone read, with the year etched just below. Amy stood beside Ty before their lost child's gravestone. It marked no true resting place, but merely acknowledged a life that once existed for too brief a time. It was their closure, saying goodbye to a precious part of them with all of the love they had for a child they would never meet. But it was their child and neither of them were able to carry on without memorializing it. The most difficult part was not knowing if it had been a boy or a girl and not being able to give a name to claim the headstone. "Baby Borden" was all they had, but it had been enough to mark the child's place in their family.

The small stone inlaid in the grass sat just a few feet away from Amy's mother's stone - it's grandmother. Even though Baby Borden had very little identity in their world, they knew that it existed in another and that Marion would be there for it in that world. She would help it to understand how much it was loved by its parents despite never meeting them. Even now their hearts still ached at the memory of this child and they still spent times wondering just what could have been and who they would be today.

"You'd be almost two today," Amy said softly to the stone, her hand resting delicately within Ty's as he lowered himself down to place the small bouquet of wildflowers in front of the stone. They didn't know when their child would have been born exactly, but took the time to figure out about when Amy would have been due and made that the child's anniversary. They acknowledged it as they would any other day of remembrance by making the trip to the cemetery to pay their respects. Even in the bitter cold temperatures of winter.

Ty stood again, his hand giving Amy's a gentle squeeze when she leaned against him to drop her head on his shoulder. They remained in silence for a few long minutes, each lost in their own memories of the events that led them here. Eventually, Ty broke the silence. "We should get you out of this cold," he spoke softly, turning to rest his lips against her hair for a moment until she turned her head to look up at him with a light smile. The hand not in Ty's rose to rest on her belly where their second child - their son - was resting comfortably in his warm little world.

It had taken almost a year before Amy had been truly ready to try for another baby. Then they struggled for so long to actually conceive that Amy had started to think that maybe it wasn't going to happen. Until the day of Ty's birthday back in the fall when she woke up so sick she could barely stand and spent the better part of the day in the bathroom. She'd felt so awful for ruining his birthday when they canceled their plans and stayed home to care for her, but when that stick turned blue Ty praised the day as the best birthday he ever had.

Those early months had been difficult to get through as they tried not to let their fears of history repeating itself prevent them from enjoying their new life, but the caution was there any time they stepped out of their house that rested at the end of a tree-lined driveway on a modest hundred and fifty acres of property. Amy could see how carefully Ty would drive anymore. How he'd take extra time to turn or pull out of somewhere and how he'd walk on the outside of her down the sidewalk so he was always between her and any vehicle. Each time they went into the city for a check up, he paid to park on the street or an open lot rather than the parking garage that had taken their first child's life. Maybe they were unnecessary precautions, but they made it over halfway through the pregnancy without any complications so far.

"Yeah. Lou and Grandpa are expecting us." Amy replied in that same quiet voice, though hesitated a moment to walk away from the stone. She always hated to do it, hated walking away, but they did what they needed to to help them move on and while it was still hard this time of year, they finally felt at peace with it and settled happily and contentedly into their new home and the next part of their lives. Ty finally partnered with Scott's practice and they were opening a second clinic in the old shop left on their acreage come spring. Amy's side of their business was on hold for the time being - until their son was born, but there was already a waiting list of horses in search of her help. It was all coming together, just as they always imagined it.

* * *

**A/N:** This is it, guys. The last chapter of the TNS saga. It's brief, but memorable. (I think so, anyway.) I want to thank all of you devoted readers for sticking with me and this story throughout the last year and a half or so that it came together. For the feedback and positive comments that kept me updating (and _wanting_ to update) and actually following through with a large writing project like this for the first time ever. I hope you've enjoyed the story and come back to it once in a while to reflect. I also hope you tag along with me on my next fanfic adventure that's going to be quite AU and different, and hopefully as engaging as TNS has come to be.


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